To some, the Denver Nuggets' 12-7 start — which has them ranked fifth in the Western Conference standings — may be surprising. However, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone has identified a statistic that's genuinely representative of what sets Denver's squad apart from the other 29 teams in the league. Per Mile High Sports' T.J. McBride, Malone noted that the Nuggets are the only team in the NBA with 20 or more assists in every game and to have no games with more than turnovers.
Michael Malone said that the #Nuggets are the only team in the NBA with 20+ assists in every game and with 0 games with 20+ turnovers.
“You can put that in your pipe and smoke it,” Malone said after saying that stat.
— T.J. McBride (@TJMcBrideNBA) November 24, 2018
With a team centered on the abilities of fourth-year center Nikola Jokic, a highly effective passer who's averaging 7.3 assists per game, there was little question that Denver was bound to have one of the league's best passing attacks. Averaging 26.4 assists per game (4th in the NBA) in an era that emphasizes ball-movement like it's a return to the 1960s or 70s, their Serbian star is showing himself to be one of the league's penultimate difference-makers.
Playing in an offensive system featuring plenty of off-ball movement and the backcourt group of Gary Harris, Jamal Murray, Will Barton and Monte Morris, who have all shown themselves to be effective facilitators, the Nuggets have a team full of playmakers and it's this advantage that allows them to have an offensive rating of 112.7 (7th in the NBA).
However, ball-control is one of the most important factors in any sport and basketball is no different.
There are only two Denver players averaging more than 2.0 turnovers per game, Murray (2.3) and Jokic (2.9). However, considering their usage rates and that they play a disciplined brand of basketball, with few risky passes being made by anyone not named Jokic, the Nuggets are indeed a unique team in their ability to generate assists at such a high rate while consistently maintaining their focus and execution.
That's one of the traits that will separate the best teams, like the Golden State Warriors, from the rest of the pack.
*All stats gathered from Basketball Reference
Follow Us
Subscribe