1. The Denver Nuggets have both found a combination of players that work off of the bench and also a way to better utilize the skillsets of those five players. The clip below highlights the strengths of each of the five players as well as the way all five guys can work in concert. From Facundo Campazzo pressuring the ball handler full court to Isaiah Hartenstein providing some rim protection and transition pick and roll play, to PJ Dozier providing a third option as ball handler, and to Monte Morris and JaMychal Green providing high IQ play as they “x-out” their back side rotation when the ball gets kicked out.
2. In this clip, Monte Morris brings the ball up the court and gets a double drag screen with two players whose skillset lends itself perfectly for this action. Green is shooting over 52% from three this season on 4.5 attempts per game.
3. One of the best things the Nuggets can do when Jokic is on the court is keep the ball moving with quick decision making. Not every pass has to be amazing, not every cut has to lead to an open shot. As long as the decisions are quick and one action flows into the next, the defense will fall behind. The play below is a great example of that. The Nuggets wind up with Jokic in the block after every player flows from one action to the next.
It should be noted that the Nugget have a +35.3 Net Rating in 49 minutes with Jokic and Green on the court together so far this season. Put another way, they have outscored opponents by 30 points in 49 minutes. Green is a smart player who sees the court well and cuts well in reaction to Jokic’s decision making while providing very good defense on the other end of the floor. Great pairing.
4. Speaking of Green, this is a not-so-simple finish off of a nice post up. He doesn’t call his own number often but he is more than capable of exploiting a switch in the post.
5. Jamal Murray is an under rated screener. Notice his awareness on this play and how he help make Paul Millsap’s three-point attempt a lot easier by seeing the corner opportunity a split second early and setting the screen.
6. I liked this simple action out of HORNS that allowed Murray to get an easy floater.
7. Last week I highlighted how PJ Dozier wasted a cut because the defense was sagged off of him. This week, Murray provided a perfect example of the correct way to create space on a cut when the defense tries to sag off.
8. Will Barton is starting to play more within the boundaries of his new limited athleticism but you can see on plays like the one below how he is a very good cutter but still struggles to hang in the air long enough to finish relatively simple contested layups. Hopefully he continues to get that burst and elevation back as the season rolls on.
9. Paul Millsap passed left when he should’ve passed right. An example of how the kickout pass often puts the receiver in the important decision-making spot.
The Full List
