The Denver Nuggets have been one of the most exciting teams of the 2018-19 NBA season, but they're not ready to win the Western Conference.
Right now, the Nuggets are sitting pretty. Currently 50-24, they own the second seed in the West and have multiple individuals who have established themselves as either premier players or reliable nightly contributors. That starts and ends with Nikola Jokic.
Jokic has reinforced himself as one of the best centers in the NBA. Going into the Nuggets' Thursday night matchup with the Houston Rockets, he was averaging a career-high in points (20.3), rebounds (10.8), assists (7.5), and steals (1.3) per game. Whether it be his ability to play at a high level defensively, find the open man with ease, hit the boards, or serve as a go-to scoring option, Jokic has one of the most advanced skill sets in the NBA. By his side is the gritty Paul Millsap.
Last season Millsap was limited to 38 games due to injury, but has returned to form this season. While the 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game he was averaging going into Thursday night don't jump off the page, they don't tell the whole story. Millsap absorbs contact and finishes inside, has a reliable outside jump shot, and is a defensive enforcer; he's the glue that keeps the Nuggets together.
Head coach Mike Malone has one of the best backcourts in the NBA in Jamal Murray and Gary Harris. Murray has continued to be a driving force of the team's offense through his ability to get to the rim and shoot off the dribble. He went into Thursday night averaging a career-high 18.1 points and 4.8 assists per game. Meanwhile, Harris missed time due to injury earlier this season and went into Thursday night averaging just 13.3 points per game, but, at full strength, is one of the most underrated two-way players in the sport. When healthy, Will Barton is a reliable source of offense too.
The Nuggets also have a deep bench.
Whether it be the scoring jolt that Malik Beasley and Monte Morris provide, Mason Plumlee's athleticism on both ends of the floor, Trey Lyles' steady play, or Torrey Craig's lockdown defense, the Nuggets bench is one of the most reliable units in the NBA. Plus, they have a head coach in Malone who has been vital in the team's rise to prominence.
So, why aren't the Nuggets going to cap off their superb 2018-19 season with a trip to the NBA Finals?
Jokic is a star and an elite center; he has a unique skill set that is difficult to stop. But the key to slowing the big man down is limiting his options with the ball in his hands in crunch time. Jokic is producing roughly 20 points on a nightly basis, but it doesn't come from simply playing in the post, or finishing inside; he relies on his ability to stick the outside jumper and use his height to shoot floaters over defenders. Jokic isn't a player who dominates in the post, or excels in isolation; he can be shut down late in games.
The most pivotal question the Nuggets will have to answer this spring is whether they have someone who can take over offensively in the fourth quarter? Could Murray have a huge postseason and put himself in the elite point guard conversation? Could Harris rekindle his old ways? Will Jokic take his game to the next level? All three of those scenarios are possible, but none are overwhelmingly likely, especially when considering their competition in the West.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are two likely candidates to face the Nuggets in the first round. While the Nuggets are 3-0 against the Thunder this season, and the Spurs aren't a force to be reckoned with, so to speak, the two teams still have players with multiple years of playoff experience under their belt. If they advance to the Semifinals, things will only get more competitive for the Nuggets.
The Rockets have a revitalized high-octane offense, and the Utah Jazz have returned to being one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. Nevertheless, in all likelihood, if they advance to the Conference Finals, the Nuggets will have to slay the dragon.
The Golden State Warriors are, of course, the team to beat in the NBA and it's only the regular season, but the way they handled the Nuggets in two of their three meetings this season is concerning for the Nuggets' sake. Winning in Denver, 142-111, and Golden State, 122-105, the Warriors gave the Nuggets a reality check: They still have a ways to go to dethrone the champs. The Warriors have three elite scorers in Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson and are a defensively-sound team that hasn't missed the NBA Finals since the 2013-14 season.
The 2018-19 Nuggets have a lot in common with the Lionel Hollins/Dave Joerger-coached Memphis Grizzlies from earlier this decade. The Grizzlies two premier players were center Marc Gasol and point guard Mike Conley. Gasol was one of the best centers in the NBA given his well-rounded play; Conley was a steady two-way floor general and one of the more underrated players in the NBA.
Next to Gasol was Zach Randolph, who was a dominant low-post player with a deadly mid-range game. The Grizzlies also had wings such as Courtney Lee, Tony Allen, James Johnson, and Mike Miller around their “big three.” They had great chemistry and were a team no one wanted to face in the playoffs, but they never escaped the West. Their problem was that they never had an alpha-dog scorer who could take over late in games. Gasol, Conley, and Randolph could be relied on to carry the scoring load, but the Grizzlies didn't have any closers or bonafide stars.
Look at the Nuggets. They also have an elite center, an underrated point guard in Murray, a veteran and physical big man in Millsap, and several reliable wings.
There's no projecting how the Nuggets will fare in the postseason — which they haven't appeared in since the 2012-13 season. The only playoff-like atmosphere game this group has played in was the last game of the 2017-18 season when they faced-off with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the winner was the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs; the Timberwolves won, but again, it wasn't a playoff game. Millsap is the Nuggets' only consistent rotation player who has a great deal of playoff experience on his resume.
One year from now it could be a completely different story with the Nuggets. They could be the team to beat in the West, whether that be as a result of Durant potentially departing Golden State, or simply them taking the next step. Maybe Michael Porter Jr. takes the league by storm and shows why he was, at one point, the projected number one overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft when he gets healthy. Heck, maybe they pull off a blockbuster trade.
The Nuggets are on the rise and have shown that they're capable of being a force, but not yet to the point where they will be the team to represent the West in the NBA Finals this season.
Follow Us
Subscribe