Create more of those shots off continuous movement as opposed to end-of-the-clock kick-outs. That means taking more long-range shots than they did a season ago, when they ranked just 26th in 3-point attempts at 30.6 per game. The Nuggets can still do all that while committing to things like improving the 3-point math. In this way, free-agent acquisition JaMychal Green will certainly bring value. A competitive mindset must still exist on that end, with a focus on sharpening up during the situational defensive situations - closing stretches of tight games, ends of quarters, inbounds plays, etc. I’m by no means suggesting that the Nuggets should simply resolve to let the defensive end of their floor become a perpetual layup zone for opponents. I have often wondered, though, about Denver’s attempt to walk a delicate tightrope of trying to add a new element to their makeup without sacrificing the thing that makes them who they are. The Nuggets have climbed into new territory every year. The steady transformation has produced results that are hard to argue. And it was hard to ignore Denver’s top-10 defense in 2019 as a reason they reached the second round of the playoffs. Head coach Michael Malone was adamant that the Nuggets finished on the doorstep of the postseason in 20 because they weren’t good enough on the defensive end, plain and simple. It began with a desire - a certainly understandable one - to get real on defense. Relying on and maximizing the impact of Jokic’s wholly unique basketball gifts is how Denver has climbed the slippery Western Conference ladder year after year, with only one rung left before they are jousting at the very top.īut there has also been a slow departure from how the Nuggets began their ascent. That’s not to say, of course, that the Nuggets have abandoned that philosophy. Doing so allowed the Nuggets to create basketball’s most efficient offense over the second half of the season, an attack that was as efficient as it was aesthetically pleasing. The Nuggets stormed back to relevancy in 2017 because they embraced the idea of letting Nikola Jokic’s beautiful offensive instincts become the guiding planetary force of their attack. What’s the identity, you ask? That of a team that scores the cover off the basketball. A chance for the Nuggets to go back to the drawing board and lean into an identity that has been creeping under the surface for some time, waiting for a chance to return to the stage with a performer’s grin. Instead, I’d argue that what happened Friday can serve as an invitation. The Nuggets, already nearing the end of the shortest offseason in NBA history, have little time to sulk and ask why. He has earned that position.įor the Nuggets, whether Grant gives a true reason for breaking up with the organization he just helped guide to the Western Conference finals is immaterial. Maybe he’ll open a window into his free-agency thought process when he’s introduced by the Pistons. But we also don’t truly know all the blocks that built that decision for the reserved young forward. Will he ever be in a better position to win a championship during the duration of his contract in Detroit than he would have been this season in Denver? I doubt it. I’m certainly not going to bash Grant for his decision. It was a stunning turn of events for the Nuggets, who displayed all outward confidence that their lengthy Swiss Army knife would be back for another run in December.Īs my friend Kane Brown would say: Sometimes it be like that. And it is time that that back-up earned some praise.Grant’s response, essentially: Nope. However, a combination of his ever-decreasing lack of burst and the unfavourable match-up that is Anthony Davis has seen Millsap be largely ineffective in the Western Conference Finals thus far, and although he recorded six points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes in the Game 3 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, he was decidedly outshone by his back-up. Is Ten Hag right? Are the big decisions going against Man Utd?.Merson Says: Man City could play into Chelsea's hands like Spurs.Transfer Centre LIVE! Roma want permanent Lukaku signing.Europa hits and misses: VAR controversy not Liverpool's biggest issue.Diaz's father released by kidnappers in Colombia.PL Predictions: Man Utd to sink to new low vs Luton.Klopp: It's not handball but our performance wasn't good enough.Lunch boxes, no carrots and takeover limbo at Man Utd.Southgate: James has taken a risk no guarantees for Ramsdale.Papers: FA launches probe as Sterling appears to throw object vs Spurs.
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