https://youtu.be/HV1HMKbuBFI Peyton Watson highlights this edition of THE LIST, a film study deep dive on the Denver Nuggets. 0:00 – Rip DHO for MPJ1:16 – MPJ jump pass1:24 – Peyton Watson one second late3:05 – Peyton on Fox island3:24 – MPJ switch confusion3:48 – Christian braun at point4:26 – Braun’s footwork on DHO threes5:16 – Mike Brown and Keegan Murray6:01…
Two good examples of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic setting up the two-man game with Nikola Jokic. And several other little details from the Denver Nuggets’ latest win over the Houston Rockets. 0:00 – Jamal Murray setting up the PnR from the post0:51 – Reggie Jackson setting up the PnR1:21 – Nikola Jokic rolling off his defender2:00 – Jokic’s quickening…
In his 3 seasons in Denver, the Nuggets have grabbed 74.5% of available defensive rebounds and 25.2% of available offensive rebounds when Zeke Nnaji was on the court. Those numbers almost perfectly reflect league averages, a surprise to most fans who see Nnaji himself as a poor rebounder. Through two games this season, Nnaji has yet to grab a single…
The Denver Nuggets dominated opening night thanks in part to the new-look bench finding their swarm. Zeke Nnaji, Christian Braun, and Peyton Watson were flying around defensively for a 2nd unit that features a lot of length and youth. THE LIST Nikola Jokic vs Anthony DavisJokic off the dribbleJokic tap pass to himself Bench defense MPJ defense Aaron Gordon flaresJamal…
The Denver Nuggets won their first NBA championship behind a historic offense built on chemistry and continuity. But there is one pet play in the team’s playbook that was especially unguardable in the playoffs. It’s a play that has roots going back to Peja Stojakovic and the Sacramento Kings of the early 2000s. Denver Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman shares…
Jalen Pickett has a lot of similarities with Nikola Jokic. They both play at their own pace and nobody can speed them up. They both have skillsets that are hidden behind a lumbering, awkward, yet somehow also graceful way of moving around on the court. And both of their talents pop the more that you watch them. In this breakdown,…
The Miami Heat know how to cook up and execute a game plan. In game two of the NBA Finals, the Heat lured Jamal Murray into tough shots by taking away the Jokic-Murray two-man game. They also took advantage of Denver’s desire to stunt on Jimmy Butler drives, opening up wide open shots from Miami’s three-point shooters. We break down…
The Denver Nuggets looked too big for the Miami Heat in game one of the NBA Finals. Cross-matches exasperated an already undersized front court and the Denver Nuggets were surgical in the way that they capitalized on those cross-matches. But there are ripple effects to the Heat’s fear of getting cross-matched or beat in transition. In game one, those ripple…
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.
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