The Denver Nuggets are ringless no longer!
After taking down the Miami Heat in 5 games and having quite the celebration tour, the Nuggets are coasting into next NBA season as one of the favorites to once again win the title. But before we look ahead to the future, let’s recap how this Nuggets team was able to cap off their historic run.
Expectations:
This season was the first time where the Nuggets were going to show their potential can be when at full-strength. Two-time reigning MVP and franchise centerpiece Nikola Jokić had been single handedly carrying the team for about a year and a half, as injuries kept point guard Jamal Murray and small forward Michael Porter Jr. out much of that time period.
This led to a disappointing first round exit to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors. This was a common theme for head coach Mike Malone’s stint up to that point – the ceiling for the Nuggets seemed to be a solid regular season with an early playoff exit. A growing sense of urgency to contend now was met with an abundance of question marks up and down the roster. Would we see the same Jamal Murray once he returned from his ACL injury? Is Michael Porter Jr. a future star or a flash in the pan? Can the veteran members of the squad make key contributions?
After few weeks into the season, it almost seemed silly to have doubted the Nuggets whatsoever. They grabbed the best record in the West right around Christmas time and never fell from the top the rest of the year. Nikola Jokić was playing like…. Well, Nikola Jokić. The Joker averaged 24.5 points per game while shooting an unbelievable 63.2% from the field. Tack on 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game, and you’re looking at arguably his best season yet. (whether or not he was better than Joel Embiid… I’ll let you decide.)
Joker’s longtime sidekick in Jamal Murray played more like first chair than a second fiddle. Averages of 20 points and 6 assists per game while hitting 40% of shots from beyond the arc was more than enough to give Jokić some offensive support. Michael Porter Jr. shot over 7 three-pointers a game at a 41% clip alongside high-flying Aaron Gordon adding on 16 points and 6 rebounds per game of his own.
Journeymen like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, and Jeff Green were plugged and played with success next to up-and-comers like rookie Christian Braun and Bones Hyland. And although Hyland was traded to the Clippers midseason, the Nuggets got another efficient role player in Thomas Bryant to act as another true center for the squad. The Nuggets would ride all these efforts into winning the top seed in the Western Conference and finishing with a 53-29 record.
However, come playoff time, the narrative present around many NBA circles was that the Nuggets were still an underdog. Sure, they had the top seed and had some great playoff moments in the past, but those were all met equally with disappointing exits.
This narrative was quickly put to bed with a dominant playoff run from start to finish. The Nuggets went 16-4, including a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Unsurprisingly, they were led by the superhuman efforts of Nikola Jokić and his innate ability to record triple-doubles. Jokić became the first player to ever lead all players in a postseason in points, rebounds, and assists. Needless to say, he won the NBA Finals MVP unanimously.
Alright, enough celebrating. Let’s breakdown how the Nuggets were able to put it all together to win a ring this year.
Offense: A+
This might be the easiest grade I’ve ever given for a team. Whether it was the two-man action between Murray and Jokić, a kick out pass to Porter Jr., or even a baseline basket cut leading to an Aaron Gordon slam, the Nuggets used plenty of screens, excellent spacing, and crafty misdirection to dominate teams and score almost effortlessly.
Mike Malone’s offense, of course, centers around Jokić. His ability to facilitate and direct traffic from anywhere on the court makes him the ultimate floor general. The Nuggets were able to get him the ball in different positions and scenarios on the court with ease all season, and he made teams pay.
In the post? Jokić’s large frame is too powerful to be slowed down consistently. At the foul line? He can Sombor Shuffle his way into a tough bucket. Leave him open beyond the arc? The center shot nearly 40% from deep this season. And yet, the most difficult aspect to gameplan against is what he can do when he gives up the ball.
Jokić’s assisting ability is most notably on display during the two-man action he has with Jamal Murray. The duo battered defenses with a plethora of different ball screens, handoffs, give-&-gos, and backdoor cuts. The most crucial part of their game is how both can either set or come off the screen and find open looks. Erik Spoelstra summarized this best in a post-game interview.
Jokić and Murray’s chemistry is drawing comparisons to the hall-of-fame Stockton and Malone connection with the Utah Jazz in the 1990s, and rightfully so. Jokić had 116 screen assists in the regular season this year, second-most in the entire league. The tape speaks for itself – the Joker and the Blue Arrow get buckets together.
This isn’t even discussing the playmaking efforts of the entire team. The Nuggets averaged just under 30 assists a game, good enough for second in the NBA. Shooters like Michael Porter Jr. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Bruce Brown were constantly looking for open space around the perimeter, whether it was by cutting, or an off-ball screen.
Bigger guys like Aaron Gordon and Jeff Green would cut hard towards the hoop in hopes of a close-range bucket. The ability of the Nuggets to weaponize every asset they had made them a well-oiled machine offensively. I believe allowing every player the chance to make plays was the key to a sustainable elite offense.
Defense: A
It’s easy to overlook the defense of this Nuggets team because of all their dazzling highlights they give us on offense. Plus, with a scoring game as efficient as they have, Denver really only needed to tread water defensively to consistently succeed. Despite a rough first month and a half to the regular season where they ranked 27th defensively, the Nuggets fortified their resistance and finished with the 8th best defense in terms of opponent points scored per game. While their defensive efficiency equaled the league average at 114.2, the Nuggets’ proficiency on offense more than made up for this in the long run. They still finished with the 6th best net rating in the league.
So why does Denver get an A grade here? Rebounding, blocks, and steals weren’t a particular strong part of the Nuggets’ game in the regular season, and their defense was good, not great.
Two words: playoff basketball.
Their defensive rating fell to 110.8 during the postseason, a mark that would have been good enough for the league’s 2nd best in the regular season. The Nuggets came into the playoffs knowing that it would be their defensive ability that would dictate how far they could go. And they stepped up both individually and as a unit. From Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope constantly being able to slow down the opposing team’s most dynamic players to some of the many mid-series adjustments from Mike Malone, the Nuggets were shutting down teams more often than not.
Nowhere was this more apparent than in the Finals. The Heat only broke 100 points in one of their 5 games against this Nuggets defense, and it took almost a 50% shooting percentage from downtown to accomplish that. The other 4 ended up being the 4 of Miami’s worst offensive performances of the postseason in terms of efficiency.
Murray, Caldwell-Pope, and Porter Jr. were solid on the ball and in running Miami’s shooters off the line, while the big men of Jokić and Gordon did well getting through flurries of screens and navigating necessary switches. Even bench guys like Brown, Green, and Braun provided enough effort defensively to allow for the more offensive-minded assets of Murray and Jokić to stay on the court for longer durations.
Down the line, I doubt most of us will reminisce on the defense of the 2022-2023 Nuggets. But don’t get it twisted – Denver doesn’t make this run without it.
Overall: A+
Truly, what more needs to be said? The Nuggets had the perfect season. The organization was patient with the coaching staff and talent they had built up over the past 6 or 7 years, and it paid off handsomely. Other than Bruce Brown’s potential departure, they can pretty much run it back for next season, too. Remember – Jokić, Murray, Porter Jr., and Gordon are all yet to celebrate their 28th birthday. I don’t want to suggest the label “dynasty” just yet, but it’s hard for one to deny that the Nuggets can bring a solid hand to the table for a good part of the future.
Regardless, what a team and what a season. With a long offseason ahead of us, I’ll let Nikola Jokić cap us off here.
“The job is done. We can go home now.”
Until next year Nuggets fans.
*******************************************************
Andy Diederich is a contributor on Back Sports Page. He received a degree from The Ohio State University and now resides in Chicago, covering the Bulls and all things NBA. You can find Andy on Instagram at @tryspellingdiederich and on Twitter at @ndyDiederich.
Featured Articles
Featured Writers
