Can the Denver Nuggets turn this series into an offensive battle?

1. The first video on today’s edition of THE LIST is courtesy of Gibson Pyper, the curator of the fantastic YouTube channel, Half Court Hoops. He highlights the exact wrinkle that the Utah Jazz have utilized to demolish the Denver Nuggets in both games one and two and the various ways in which the Nuggets have tried to stop it. (He’s also a fantastic twitter follow and his YouTube channel is chock full of resources for better understanding the game)

2. Torrey Craig was held scoreless in game two which isn’t too much of a surprise given his limited role in the offense and his hot and cold shooting profile. But if he is going to struggle reading and fighting through screens like the example below, I’m not sure he has a meaningful role in the series. Craig must be a factor on defense. If not, then there is little reason to start him.

3. The Jazz have managed to beat the Nuggets in the half court easily enough even when the Nuggets aren’t making egregious mistakes. That makes plays like the one below even more disheartening.

4. Nikola Jokic will need to be able to make these kinds of plays 50% more difficult in game three if Denver is going to win. This is too easy.

5. The Jazz are placing defenders exactly where they want them on the court before attacking. Craig may need to crowd Donovan Mitchell’s space more in an effort prevent him from so easily timing and organizing when and where to attack.  Right now he is being allowed to just survey the court and attack on his terms.

6. You can break a good defense into two parts: not allowing the offense to gain an advantage, and finding ways to recover in the moments that the defense gets a step on you. The Nuggets have fallen behind so frequently that the only good defensive possessions that they have are ones in which they scramble like hell to rotate and catch up.

7. Rudy Gobert has been the primary defender on Nikola Jokic in the post but the Jazz placed rookie Juwan Morgan on him to open each half of game two and used Rudy Gobert as a help defender, more or less ignoring Paul Millsap.

8. Even when Gobert has been the primary defender, Morgan has left Millsap to crowd the paint and funnel Jokic into more easily defendable spots on the court.

9. There might be something to placing someone else in the first ball screen action with Jamal Murray and Monte Morris, allowing Jokic to drag Gobert out of the paint. Jokic doesn’t have to just be a floor spacer. With Jerami Grant or Millsap rolling to the rim, Gobert will have to decide between rotating into the paint or sticking to Jokic. If he commits to the paint, Jokic is available for the kickout three-point shot or to segue right into a secondary handoff with Michael Porter Jr. or one of Denver’s other perimeter players.

10. Emmanuel Mudiay provided a great example of running into the catch on a skip pass.

11. PJ Dozier provided another example. The Nuggets struggle to get into the paint against most teams. Catching on the attack is one way to break down the first line of defense.