The Los Angeles Lakers put LeBron James on Nikola Jokic in game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. Jarred Vanderbilt entered the starting lineup. And the Denver Nuggets found a few ways to lure Anthony Davis out of the paint when he’s playing free safety. All of that and more on today’s edition of THE LIST. The List Intro -…
The Phoenix Suns punched back in game three behind a career night from Devin Booker, an aggressive foul-baiting adjustment from Kevin Durant, and the tough interior presence of DeAndre Ayton….Jock Landale. The Australian big man has had two positive impact games in a row for the Suns but game three may be the one that forces the Denver Nuggets to…
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Jamal Murray was right in game one when he yelled to the crowd “we’re ready for this.” It was true of their game plan coming into the game and appears to be true more broadly about their readiness to take the next, and perhaps final step towards becoming NBA champions. In this film study deep dive I breakdown the key…
This is a guest column from Miroslav Cuk, host of the Serbian Corner podcast on the DNVR Nuggets podcast feed. Nikola Jokić wants the pressure In the weeks leading to the playoffs, which coincide with the deadline for talking heads around the league to submit their NBA awards votes, there has been a lot of talk about which players should…
1. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are that rare example of a duo that combines to become greater than the sum of their parts. Individually they're both great. Together, they're ever greater thanks to plays like the ones below where both players identify a read and communicate that read without saying or doing anything. No nod, no blink, no wave. Just the two seeing the same things at all times and knowing that the other saw it as well.
https://youtu.be/8_4OTA3mINU
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Bones Hyland closed the game at the point guard spot for the Denver Nuggets in the second night of a back-to-back against the Sacramento Kings. For the most part, he got the ball where it needed to go. Watch all possessions over the final 6 minutes and let us know what you think about his clutch time offense. Also in…
1. Nikola Jokic's between-the-legs pass might be the pass of the year for the Denver Nuggets. What makes it better is that the pass was actually a counter to the way the Memphis Grizzlies were defending one of Denver's most common actions.
In the clip below, you can see how the Grizzlies aggressive denial of the reversal triggered Jokic to become the release valve every time the team ran that play in the first half. In the second half, Brown perfectly timed the "blind pig" action. Perfectly enough for Jokic to just hike the ball in stride to Brown for the easy dunk.
https://youtu.be/M9ImqsAvUMQ
2. Jokic is a wizard at waiting until the last second to make his read as a passer. In the clips below, you can see how the flare screen to the corner is the first read for Jokic. But by waiting until the last possible second, Jokic is actually luring the defender away from his preferred option which is the dropoff pass to the screener.
https://youtu.be/iRJOXg3fV-Y
3. I like that Christian Braun isn't just settling for spot-up jumpers when he's sharing the court with the starting unit. Braun is shooting just 31% from behind the arc this season, a number that needs to improve in order for him to become a reliable two-way option for the Nuggets. But even if he becomes a more steady three-point shooter, mixing in cuts like the one below that get him attacking the basket is still a valuable option.
Braun is big for a wing and has a 40-inch vertical. We haven't seen him fully deploy his athleticism in the NBA just yet but I like that he is looking for options where he is going towards the rim and not always flaring to the corner.
https://youtu.be/KIwfEJiutkA
4. Another great cut. Watch how Brown flares and then cuts off of the Gordon screen, forcing Dillon Brooks to take the furthest possible angle. That cut, paired with a perfectly timed entry pass, forces the favorable switch.
https://youtu.be/GypiYO4jcjY
5. Another important skill for Christian Braun will be his ability to knockdown dribble handoff and pick-and-roll three-pointers when the defense goes under the screen.
https://youtu.be/EOpsBmT8EFU
6. Here is Braun quickly falling back into Denver's free flow rhythm after an offensive rebound and taking an aggressive left-handed drive to the rim. Braun has the foundation of a solid offensive option. A decent three-point shot, the ability to handle the ball in basic actions, and the right amount of aggressiveness for a 5th option.
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1. If there is one reason to have faith in the Denver Nuggets championship aspirations this season it is the perfect synergy of the Nikola Jokic - Jamal Murray two man game. The duo took a 500 day hiatus yet picked up immediately where they left off as if they never stopped playing. The two of them are so perfectly in sync at all times, especially at the close of each half when the other three players seem content to get out of the way and watch as the two dance back and forth en route to the exact outcome that they seem fit. The term pick your poison seems to undersell the conundrum presented by those. Often times, the duo will gladly make that choice for you.
https://youtu.be/Xev9bufPT58
2. One of my favorite things about Jokic is that he has a counter for every read the defense makes. Here, rookie Walker Kessler clearly studied his scouting report to note that these rub screens send Jokic to one of his favorite spots on the left block. But Jokic sees him jump the action and decides to pop out to the three point line, taking advantage of Kessler's early work.
After the game, Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy said of Kessler, "Walker came to the bench at one point and said like 'I'm trying really hard.' I said, 'Dude, I get it. You are trying really hard. And keep trying hard. This is part of your growth."
1. “Peel Sting” is one of Denver’s go-to isolation plays for their power forwards and one of the most common set plays in Michael Malone’s playbook. The play starts with a 1-4 ball screen that usually forces a switch before leading to a mid or low post touch for the “4” to attack a mismatch. Here are several examples from…
1. The Clippers didn't let Ivica Zubac guard Nikola Jokic for more than a few possessions on Friday night and it's easy to see why. Zubac started out guarding Aaron Gordon but was forced to cover Jokic for a few possessions to end the first half. It did not go well.
https://youtu.be/4zh14sOqFTY
In August 2022, DNVR traveled to Serbia to learn more about the history and culture that helped raise the two-time NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic.
On today’s show, Adam Mares visits with Kirk Henderson of Mavs Moneyball to discuss a theory on roster building around Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic. Like LeBron James, both players are capable of doing most of the heavy lifting for a team on the offensive end. So is talent actually the wrong way to look at roster building around them?…
This is a compilation of common plays and actions in the Denver Nuggets playbook. I will update this list throughout the season with over 200 unique examples of plays from the Denver Nuggets playbook. This can act a a companion for THE LIST, WHAT MAKES THIS PLAY GREAT, or just as a resource for anyone trying to learn and recognize…...
This week on THE LIST, I break down some of the key plays from the Denver Nuggets’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. Clips include a spotlight on poor transition defense and defensive effort, a promising example of the improving Murray-Jokic two-man game, and one of the keys for Michael Porter Jr. unlocking his potential alongside Nikola…...
There is a play from last preseason that has stuck in my mind all year long. In it, Aaron Gordon set a ball screen for Nikola Jokic, forcing a switch and catching Karl-Anthony Towns who jumped on the high side of the screen, leaving a wide open paint for Gordon to roll to the basket for an easy dunk. Gordon…...
Adam Mares dives into the Nuggets' playbook to break down one of Denver's most common offensive actions.
1. Perhaps the best of Peyton Watson’s skills as a prospect is his cat-like reflexes. He is lightning quick in moments when he is tasked with reacting to a pass or rebound. In the clips below, watch how quickly he pounces once he sees the trajectory of the ball. https://youtu.be/wxVXc7r01v8 He actually has a lot of room for improvement as…
1. Perhaps the trait that popped the most from Christian Braun in his NBA Summer League debut was how quickly he transitions from defense to sprinting on the fast break. He’s a fast sprinter but more impressive is how there is no lag time between when he sees that the defensive rebound has been secured and when he first hits…...
In this episode, George Karl shares his perspective on the Denver Nuggets 5-game series loss to the Golden State Warriors by playing a game of “True or False.” Plus, how he would approach this offseason and which players he would try to trade away, which players he would listen to offers, and which players he would hang up the phone…
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