Aaron Gordon – A- It was surprising to see Gordon listed as available for this game. Four starters were taking the night off between injuries and a demanding schedule. In that scenario, one might have imagined Gordon would follow suit. He’s laboring his way to the all-star break. Still, there he was when the game tipped off. If AG needed…
Jamal Murray – B Jamal Murray sat down at the podium after the loss and glanced at the stat sheet. “Wow,” he murmured in discontent. It was the 3-point shooting that left him exasperated. Despite an otherwise impressive night, he shot just 1 for 6 from deep as Denver’s top-scoring option. Had some of those fallen, he’d have led Denver…
Jamal Murray – A+ Murray put his fingerprints all over an encouraging basketball game. Denver stayed true to their brand of basketball, even without Nikola Jokić, and Murray turned in one of his best performances of the season. Indiana dared someone else to beat them. They pressure Murray up the court. They sent help. They sent various looks with the…
Wow, it turns out Nikola Jokic actually can say something nice about himself… even if briefly.
Nikola Jokić – A+ From his pickup days in Sombor to his MVP campaigns at the highest level in basketball, Jokić has stayed true to a simple philosophy. This is a game about teammates. Perhaps that’s why he allowed pride to sink in briefly as he spoke with ESPN after another win in Ball Arena. Jokić posted another triple-double and,…
Nikola Jokić – A- In another timeline, there’s something to criticize about Jokić’s performance. Had his first and only field goal attempt of the fourth quarter drawn iron instead of net, we might file the loss under ‘Jokić didn’t try hard enough.’ Of course, on the other side of another game-winning shot and triple-double, levying criticism feels nothing less than…
Jamal Murray – A- If your kid is a Jamal Murray fan, and you’re considering surprising them with tickets to the game, make sure it’s against the Clippers or the Suns. It doesn’t get more fun watching Murray than against his favorite opponents, two teams that bring the best out of him. The Nuggets were without Nikola Jokić Friday night…
Nikola Jokić – A Jokić only needed 28:18 on the floor to post 21-18-9 on 10-15 shooting. The Sombor double actually hurt his season average in assists per game. Without DeAndre Ayton, among a long list of other inactive players, Phoenix started Bismack Biyombo. He and Dario Šarić were tasked with slowing the B2B MVP, which should count as some…
Nikola Jokić – A Nikola Jokić posted the second-most impressive triple-double on 100% shooting of his career. He only took five shots on his way to 14-11-16 and a win. He led both teams in rebounds and assists. It’s becoming impossible not to take him for granted. Many will cry they’d never commit such a sin, but I’d insist it’s…
Nikola Jokić – A Michael Malone pondered the best route. He had a mic drop in mind, but he’s never one to disrespect an opponent. He sat with the question about Jokić’s output against Cleveland’s mighty defense before stating matter of factly: “Nikola doesn’t see Defensive Player Of The Year guys.” We can at least say that Jarrett Allen made…
Denver Nuggets – A+ There’s only one grade today: an A+ for the Denver Nuggets. From top to bottom, they were prepared for a National TV battle with theoretical contenders. The Los Angeles Clippers couldn’t throw the ball into the ocean Thursday night, but it wasn’t all shot luck. Denver turned up the defense and played with far more urgency…
In another life, I was lucky to work for a fitness company, helping them build out their online presence into the behemoth unicorn they are today. I won’t name names, but they rhymed with, uh… Peachbody. One of their most popular trainers, er… Pony Morton… was the creator of a still-bestselling program called, erm… B90X. Anyway, T… er, Pony often…
Nikola Jokić – A+ When you cover Nikola Jokić for a living, you receive a side education on some unexpected subjects. I’ve learned more about Serbian culture than I ever guessed I would. And I could say the same about the great and potentially mythical Wilt Chamberlain. We might as well be on his beat. Jokić dropped 30-12-12 on 77%…
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…
Nikola Jokić – A+ Jokić had no problem generating offense alongside a misshapen starting unit. Significant absences required an aggressive approach, and he obliged with a 40-piece. He did miss a potential game-winner that drew contact but no whistle and rimmed out. It’s a shot we’re used to him making and one that would have drastically changed the tone of…
Nikola Jokić – A Jokić rode a monster third-quarter to a Sombor Double in Sacramento—his seventh of the season—falling one rebound short of another triple-double. He put up eleven assists to no turnovers, staying patient in his approach as the Kings sent help while his teammates were cold from the field. He never stopped trusting them, even if he did…
Nikola Jokić – A- It’s been some time since Nurkić truly gave Jokić trouble. It’s been some time since Portland rivaled Denver or inspired much fear. And it had been some time since the Denver Nuggets trotted out 15 available players. One of those things changed Friday night when Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. returned to the lineup. The…
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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Nikola Jokić – A+ Jokić continues to post stats only surpassed by the fictional protagonist of NBA lore, Wilt Chamberlain. Sure, there’s a historical record of his existence, but I don’t believe he grabbed fifty rebounds in a game, and you can’t make me. I suppose people may say the same thing about Jokić one day — if the biggest…
Another historic moment in Nuggets history passed by in the past two games without a moment’s fanfare, and if you’ve gotten to know this space, of course it was associated with Nikola Jokic.
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