Adam and Harrison review film from the Nuggets’ loss in Memphis on Monday. Notes on what the Nuggets’ bench is struggling with the most and how to fix that unit, where Michael Porter Jr.’s night went wrong, Aaron Gordon’s shot selection, how the Grizzlies attacked Denver’s defense, and much more. Video version for DNVR Member only:...
Adam and Harrison go live for a DNVR Members Only edition of The List from the Nuggets’ loss to the Jazz. The guys go over notes on Nikola Jokic’s scoring, Aaron Gordon’s defense, some encouraging defensive moments from Michael Porter Jr., the unguardable Gordon-Jokic pick-and-roll and much more. If you want to become a DNVR Member to get access to…
Adam Mares goes through his LIVE edition of The List with Harrison Wind after the Nuggets’ opening night win over the Suns. Notes on Michael Porter Jr.’s passing, Denver getting the ball poppin’, Will Barton as the ball handler, Monte Morris in the pick-and-roll, Aaron Gordon fitting in, and much more....
In this episode, Adam Mares is joined by Mo Dakhil of Bleacher Report, The Athletic, and the Nerder She Wrote podcast with Dave DuFour and Seth Partnow. Topics include: Is MPJ a future star or superstar? Why the Nuggets should benefit from learning new ways to win without Jamal Murray Where does Aaron Gordon fit into the equation? Scouting report…
Adam Mares and Eric Wedum (D-Line Co) discuss whether or not Michael Porter Jr. will be affected by playoff atmosphere, whether or not this is the coolest team of the Nikola Jokic era, and ask whether Bol Bol can help the struggling bench.
In this episode, Adam Mares is joined by Joel Rush of Forbes.com to discuss the Denver Nuggets’ 2021 season, Michael Porter Jr.’s integration into the team culture, and Nuggets’ media availability via Zoom.
In this episode, Adam Mares, Brendan Vogt and Harrison Wind of DNVR Nuggets are joined by Ryan Koenigsberg of DNVR Broncos to talk about the Nuggets’ opening night win over the Blazers. Analysis, conversation, and plenty of laughs as we recap and relive the first game of the season. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE! iTunes link | Stitcher Link | Pocket…
Wind and Clark are joined by Adam Mares of DenverStiffs.com to preview the Nuggets’ season with media day just three days away. The guys talk about everyone on the roster from Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to Michael Porter Jr. and Jarred Vanderbilt and discuss the latest rumors around Jimmy Butler. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE! iTunes link | Stitcher Link | Pocket…
In this episode, Adam Mares is joined by Adam Spinella, an NBA draft analyst who runs a fantastic YouTube channel where he is previewing all of the top prospects in the 2021 NBA draft. The two discuss Chris Duarte, Ayo Dosunmu, Quentin Grimes, Tre Mann, Trey Murphy, Josh Primo, and more. Adam’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdQ3lQRI5XA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY4_OkxHhx8
In this notebook edition of the DNVR Nuggets Podcast, Adam Mares shares his detailed notes about the team’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers on opening night. Gary Harris has a new tendency when driving to the rim, the Nuggets struggled closing quarters, and the mind frame that Torrey Craig needs to become a threat.
Adam Mares dives into the Nuggets' playbook to break down one of Denver's most common offensive actions.
Adam Mares: Michael Porter Jr
This hiatus is a double-edged sword for MPJ. On the one hand, it is a bit tragic that he waited two years to get back on the basketball court only to have his return to action cut short by the pandemic. On the other hand, the 10th man in a 9.5 man rotation on a title-contending team is a difficult spot to find yourself when you are as talented as Porter. There's so much to learn in such a short window of time with almost no chance to catch your breath once things get rolling. It's like a new test everyday but with no time in between to study.
Porter is easily one of the seven most talented players on the Denver Nuggets roster but he is far and away the most inexperienced. In his debut season, he often struggled to remember plays, even those that were called for him to be the primary focus. On the defensive end, he was slow to read his assignments, often bungling a switch or rotation.
Porter would be wise to spend his quarantine by memorizing the playbook. It isn't enough to just become familiar with each play from the small forward spot, if Porter wants a spot in the rotation when the season returns he'll have to understand each player's role on the court during each action. Defensively, daily reminders of the team's schemes, rules, and assignments through film study should sharpen his understanding.
Do that, and Porter will find himself in the rotation when the season returns. Fail to do so, and the Nuggets will likely enter an accelerated end of season and playoff without him.
Adam Mares: Bol Bol?
There really aren't any great answers to this question, in part because there aren't a lot of players who qualify as being "under-the-radar." I am skeptical that Bol Bol can become an impact player as early as next season, especially now that a large portion of his first offseason will take place under unique circumstances. This summer was going to be a big one for Bol. His first summer league, his first offseason working out with the Denver Nuggets coaching staff, his first offseason where his focus can be entirely on adding strength and conditioning.
All of that is gone now. What remains is the raw talent that made Bol one of the top prospects in the world just 12 months ago. A 7'2 frame, a silky jump shot, a surprising handle and the coordination of a player that is 6 inches shorter. Those talents will be useful the moment Bol is able to figure out the NBA game and meet the expectations of the coaching staff.
Then there is the question of what the roster might look like. A huge reduction in the league's salary cap might create a bunch of curveballs to Denver's roster construction going forward. It can be assumed that at least one of Mason Plumlee or Paul Millsap would not return next season. The plans to re-sign Jerami Grant are still intact but he will be a popular free agent this summer. Have those plans changed now that the league is in flux? There is at least a scenario in which the Nuggets need Bol to play at least some minutes next season?
Who advances if the Nuggets and Rockets meet in the first round?
*If the league goes straight into the playoffs once the league returns.
Adam Mares: Rockets in six
It's basically impossible to know half of the variables that would impact this question. Are fans allowed into the arena? Are games played on a neutral site, negating home court advantage?
Setting those questions aside, I think what the Houston Rockets do on the basketball court is much easier to figure out and get settled than what the Denver Nuggets do. Houston's offense is basically an isolation offense with spot up shooters around the three-point line. Role players like PJ Tucker need only figure out the rhythm of their catch and shoot shooting while the lion's share of the responsibility rests on the talent of Russell Westbrook and James Harden. There is very little timing and chemistry to sort out.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, play a much more balanced style of basketball that is more dependent on chemistry and timing. So if the league jumped right into a playoff, do-or-die series, then I think the advantage would go to the Rockets.
Which current Nuggets players will not be on the roster to start next season?
Adam Mares: Paul Millsap
There are plenty of reasons to believe Paul Millsap could stick around beyond this year. Last summer, Millsap talked about wanting to be in Denver for much longer and having a "story" that he wanted to tell his way. Back then, it sure sounded like that story meant finishing his career in Denver.
But do the Denver Nuggets need him? Jerami Grant was beginning to blossom as a front court running mate to Nikola Jokic and is only entering his prime. Millsap, on the other hand, was in and out of the lineup for the 3rd season in a row and starting to show signs of slowing down. 250 lb athletes don't always age slowly and gracefully. Often times, the decline is sudden and steep.
The Nuggets could re-sign Millsap with the assumption that he'd segue into a sort of end-of-bench veteran who is only sparsely called upon to play real minutes but Millsap likely sees himself as something more than that. Then there is the question of continuity vs. bringing in new voices, new talents, and new personalities. The Nuggets are in need of an edge. Millsap is smart, unselfish, and hard working, but he isn't exactly an intimidating force. If the Nuggets believe that they need some new blood in the lockerroom, Millsap might be one of the guys out the door.
Brendan Vogt: Mason Plumlee, Troy Daniels
The Nuggets were nearing a postseason in which Plumlee's ideal role is a limited one. Dever has already overpaid him, and he might desire a more significant role on another team, especially should one feel inclined to pay him like a starter. Three bigs are enough in the postseason, and if you have confidence in both Paul Millsap and Jerami Grant returning, as I do, then it makes a lot of sense for the two parties to move on.
Grant found a groove with the starters and proved so many who thought he'd be a great fit in Denver to be right. The front office has likely identified him as a candidate, if not the preferred power forward to slot alongside their young core. Millsap is entering the final phase of his career, and winning his first championship is, of course, vital to him.
He's on the record as wanting to finish what he's started here and doesn't hold back when speaking on this team's talent and capabilities. My read is he's identified this group as the one to help him get to the promised-land finally.
Troy Daniels shouldn't require much of an explanation. He's unlikely to see much time in a Nuggets uniform, if any at all, and entering unrestricted free agency.
Adam Mares: Michael Porter Jr.
This is our fourth round table and the fourth time my answer has centered around Michael Porter Jr. but think for a second about the string of bad luck this young man has endured. First, after spending most of his teenage years as the top prospect in the country, he suffers a back injury just minutes into his freshmen season in college. He has back surgery and misses almost all of that season, then misses his first season in the NBA as he recovered from a second back surgery. Now, in his first season back after two years off, the NBA cancels the season just as he was getting going.
Players develop the most between the ages of 18 and 25 so for Porter to basically miss a majority of the first 3 years of that range is really disheartening. People often say that what Porter need is time but time alone what allow him to reach his potential. What he really needs are repetitions. Live game, practice, workout, training. All of the things that help a player become the best version of themselves on the basketball court. For the third season in a row, Porter's development appears stunted by something completely out of his control.
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What was the most memorable moment of the Nuggets' season?
Adam Mares: Michael Porter Jr. against the Indiana Pacers
The most accurate answers to this question are either the night Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash or the night the NBA season was canceled. The Nuggets were at the forefront of both. When the Kobe news broke, word spread throughout Pepsi Center and the Denver Nuggets locker room for us all to see. When the season was canceled, the Nuggets were in the middle of a game against the Dallas Mavericks. Both nights will be nights I'll never forget.
But for a more Nuggets specific moment, it has to be the night Michael Porter Jr. broke out. To me, that night was January 2nd, 2020. Porter was fresh off of his first start four nights earlier but it wasn't until the game at Banker's Life Fieldhouse that I was sold on Porter becoming a star. The 25 points on 11 of 12 shooting tell most of the story but it was the variety of ways that Porter scored that stood out. Offensive rebounds, transition buckets, spot-up three-pointers, dribble drives to beat the shot clock, and what has become his patented step back three. From that point forward, Denver's long-term trajectory changed. They had a second (maybe third?) superstar in the making.
For some, the summer went by in the blink of an eye. For others, this day could not have come soon enough. The NBA season is here, whether you're ready for it or not, and the DNVR Nuggets staff has put together a comprehensive preview to help you catch up on the most relevant narratives and pertinent questions surrounding your Denver Nuggets.
Adam Mares, Harrison Wind, Mike Olson, and Brendan Vogt offer their Nuggets predictions, league-wide predictions, and provide the most important question surrounding each player on the roster.
What teams present the most and least of a threat in a Western Conference playoff series? Will Denver reach the Finals or lose in the first round? Will the Nuggets take home any awards?
The 2019-20 DNVR Nuggets preview is here.