Denver Nuggets need to get serious about their defense

After a win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday, the Nuggets awoke in first place within the West on Wednesday. This isn’t completely shocking. Nikola Jokić is making a case for his third straight MVP, the staff is the healthiest it’s been in years and the offense is buzzing. What’s shocking is how Denver beat Memphis on Tuesday: with an awesome defensive efficiency.

The Nuggets held the Grizz to solely 91 factors, by far their stingiest whole of the season. It was solely the fourth time Denver held an opponent to underneath 100 factors this yr. Memphis’s 14 factors within the first quarter and 40 factors within the first half have been additionally season-bests for the Nuggets.

Sadly, these sorts of nights are few and much between for Denver. On one hand, it’s promising the staff confirmed the potential to decelerate a top-10 offense. On the opposite, if the Nugs are critical about being title contenders, it doesn’t matter the place they end within the West; they should begin defending.

Even after going Dangerous Boy on the Grizz, Denver is in possession of the sixth-worst protection within the NBA, per Cleansing the Glass, forward of solely a gaggle of tank squads. The Nuggets are preserving ignominious firm on that finish of the ground, and are in first solely by advantage of Jokić’s offensive genius.

The trick for the Nuggets is constructing the proper scheme round their heart. They play extra aggressively than most groups to cowl up for Joker’s lack of rim safety. He’s sometimes hedging on screens, which implies Denver is placing two on the ball in pick-and-rolls, creating lots of strain for everybody off the ball to rotate between the rim and corners when groups are initiating their actions. Oftentimes, it hasn’t been fairly. If guards break up the Jokić hedge, they aren’t met with a lot resistance on the rim, and if they’re, they’ll kick out to shooters on the perimeter. Considerably distressingly, regardless of including some higher display screen navigators in Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Denver remains to be susceptible when Jokić drops, as a result of verticality will not be his power.

In opposition to Memphis, the Nuggets labored in an excellent quantity of zone, one thing coach Michael Malone has been keen to lean on slightly bit extra this season. It additionally helped that the Grizzlies have been lacking their greatest shooter in Desmond Bane, which made it simpler for Denver to shrink the ground. Ja Morant nonetheless went off for 35 and steadily knifed his method into the paint, but a Memphis staff that usually hits almost 12 threes an evening was restricted to 5 with the shortage of capturing on the skin.

It’s not completely clear how sustainable the efficiency towards the Grizzlies is.

Denver began rookie Christian Braun on Tuesday. The lineup of Brown, Braun, KCP, Jokić and Aaron Gordon has now performed 43 minutes collectively and has a promising 100.0 defensive ranking, but it surely’s not a long-term resolution. Braun will not be going to begin over Jamal Murray. And considerably surprisingly, the group of Murray, Brown, KCP, Gordon and Jokić has a 112.3 defensive ranking, not horrible, and barely higher than league common.

Headed into the season, I anticipated that group to be higher on that finish of the ground. (I even wrote concerning the additions of Brown and KCP!) That lineup is probably the most athleticism and display screen navigation the Nuggets have put round Jokić, with shooters besides. It must be a greater group, although to their credit score, they’ve improved over the course of the season.

Denver’s true beginning 5 of Jokić, Murray, KCP, Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. has truly been nice when MPJ has been wholesome. That unit has posted a 101.6 D-rating in 172 minutes, and Porter is anticipated again quickly after lacking each recreation since Nov. 22. Although Porter has by no means been thought of a stopper, he does supply some dimension on the backline when the staff is caught rotating, which helps inside the confines of Jokić’s chasing round guards.

And whereas the main focus right here is on how the staff defends with Jokić on the ground, it’s value noting Denver is far worse when he sits. Bench lineups have bled factors. Denver has a 112.2 defensive ranking with Jokić taking part in, which is above league common. (The offense is historic when he performs. It’s like an All-Star Recreation.) Per CTG, the protection is 9.4 factors per 100 possessions worse when Jokić is on the bench.

Nonetheless, I count on higher! Earlier than the season, Malone stated he needed a top-five protection. Denver is nowhere shut. In Malone’s, uh, hm, protection, there are a bunch of recent guys taking part in collectively this yr, they usually want time to construct each habits and chemistry. Murray additionally nonetheless wants a while to search out consistency on each ends of the ground after lacking a yr with a torn ACL.

It’s very uncommon for groups this poor defensively to win championships, although. And if the Nuggets catch the unsuitable matchup—cough, Stephen Curry, cough—their aggressive scheme could be uncovered in a short time. It takes quite a lot of kinds to win within the playoffs, and particular person defenders must be ready to be focused.

It was good to see the Nuggets win a recreation with out having to attain 110 factors. (The final time that occurred was Nov. 20.) There’s undoubtedly potential inside this group to try this extra usually. But when we’re actually going to take Denver—my preseason Finals choose—significantly as a title contender, then it issues much less the place the Nuggets get up within the standings, and extra within the defensive rankings.