Our analysts grade each Denver Nuggets player in every game of the season.
With all eyes on Denver for the first time, the Nuggets delivered in Game One of the NBA Finals. Here’s the report card after a successful debut on the big stage Nikola Jokić – A+ Nikola Jokić made history in his long-awaited Finals debut. Jokić joined Jason Kidd as the second player to record a triple-double in his first NBA…
The Denver Nuggets completed the sweep to eliminate the Los Angeles Lakers. They’re headed to their first-ever NBA Finals. As we have in each elimination game, we’ll dedicate this report card to the entire series. Nikola Jokić – A+ Jokić was the best player on the floor for four games. He was a monster in transition, inhaling defensive rebounds and…
“It takes 16 wins to win a championship, and we’ve got five more to go, and the Lakers are in our way.” – Jamal Murray Jamal Murray – A+ Jamal Murray is a generational competitor. He’s a talented basketball player, always has been, but he turns into something else entirely with his back against the wall. The exact circumstances that…
Ball Arena is an Unassailable Fortress Jamal Murray – A Even Jamal Murray knew the Denver Nuggets took the longer route to victory. By his admission, things might have been easier if he had hit his shots in the second and third quarters. But as winning time approached, Murray felt his back scrape against a wall. There was nowhere to…
Nikola Jokić – A+ The 2023 Denver Nuggets are made of something different than previous iterations. They’ve taken hits, weathered storms together, and refitted many times. The ship that left the harbor long ago is still recognizable. Same captain. Same name. But she’s made of new wood now, with a primarily new and wiser crew on board to help her…
The Nuggets are going back to Denver and the Western Conference Finals The series is over. The Denver Nuggets are the first team to advance out of the second round after sending a loud message to the Suns and the conference in Game 6. You might not fear the Denver Nuggets, but you should. As we did in round…
Ball Arena is a fortress Nikola Jokić – A Jokić opened the game 2-6 from the field, permeating existential confusion among the Nuggets faithful. Wouldn’t you know it, he finished the game an efficient 12-20 from the floor, including 2-3 from deep. He missed just one of his nine shots in the second half. His second half was spectacular. He…
The Nuggets whiffed on a golden opportunity in the valley. Now, they must hold serve as the series returns to the Mile High City. Nikola Jokić – A+ Jokić and Booker are in a duel for the ages. While there’s no shortage of additional storylines or key players in the series, the two best players in the postseason are taking…
It’s Denver’s turn to respond after Devin Booker’s brilliant performance Nikola Jokić – A There are plenty of nits to pick in Game 3’s report card. A bottom line should be established before they’re opened up and examined — Denver won their minutes with Jokić on the floor. He was brilliant in nearly 42 minutes of action, dropping an efficient…
“How will the Nuggets defend the Suns?” Nikola Jokić – A+ Nikola Jokić offered a gentle reminder to any who needed it Monday night. He reminded the world why he’s still technically the back-to-back MVP, and the Denver Nuggets are the number-one seed in the Western Conference. This team can win any game, in virtually any style, with 15 on…
“Jamal Murray lives for this.” – Michael Malone Jamal Murray – A+ If only the Nuggets had Jamal Murray, indeed. Murray returned to the Suns – Nuggets matchup and picked up right where he left off against his favorite opponent. So much has changed on either side of the fence since 27 was last involved, and the Nuggets have spent…
“I don’t care if it’s 8-seed, 1-seed, all that other BS — to win a series in the playoffs is hard.” – Michael Malone It’s been a long season, folks. And we’re still going. Let’s shake it up for the sake of variety. We’ll grade the Denver Nuggets on their entire series and use Nikola Jokić’s grading scale. It’s 1-5…
Nikola Jokić – A Nikola Jokić posted a monster stat line in a playoff loss. It’s happened before, and it may not be a coincidence. That’s not to say Jokić was doing anything wrong in dropping 43 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists — rather, that might be a symptom of suboptimal offense. Jokić’s teammates weren’t ready to play from…
Michael Porter Jr. – A The story of round one so far is one of maturation. The Nuggets look older, wiser, and better prepared than ever for a deep postseason run. At the heart of that is the maturation of Michael Porter Jr. A once awkward fit in the organization has become the poster boy for their thriving culture. He’s…
“He left a piece of him out there tonight.” – Michael Malone Jamal Murray – A+ Jamal Murray turned in two of the best performances of his career Wednesday night. The first came on the court — his first playoff masterpiece in front of a friendly home crowd in years. He’s done it on the road, and he’s done it in…
As it turns out, the Nuggets were ready for Game One. So were their fans. Nikola Jokić – A- Denver sprinted out of the gate in the series opener, not lacking energy or focus in front of an electric crowd. They were dialed in defensively from the jump, but it took a while for the shots to fall. That’s where…
Sacramento sent all the King’s men to Denver, hoping to finish the season on a winning note. Despite it being fan appreciation night, the Nuggets gave their starters the night off. Against the odds, the end of the bench delivered a munder at home and a cherry on top of their regular season. Let’s take a look at the standouts:…
Nikola Jokić – D The Denver Nuggets turned in an unserious effort against the Rockets. It started up top with the return of the 2x MVP, who took the game seriously for only a handful of possessions before gearing down. Jokić scored only 14 points and doubled his four assists with eight turnovers. Despite logging multiple blocks and steals, he…
The Magic Number is One Jamal Murray – A Murray opened up the game 4/4 from the field, wasting no time proving a point. He’s not a fan of how the team’s perceived without Jokić. He was out to change minds Sunday night. As the center of attention, getting to the rim wasn’t easy. Still, Murray was determined — he…
Aaron Gordon – B Gordon opted to make the trip and play in Phoenix despite the rest of his co-starters taking the night off. The hope might’ve been to get himself going and build confidence going into the playoffs. AG reprised an old role, becoming the center of attention on an ill-equipped squad. The results were a mixed bag —…
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