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Nuggets Notebook: Clock ticking on Denver's point guards

October 25, 2017

The Denver Nuggets are looking to get back on track against an injury-depleted Charlotte Hornets team after suffering a loss at home to the Washington Wizards on Monday night.

As Denver begins a four-game east coast road trip against very winnable teams the first game is against Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets.

[columns]
[column size=”1/2″]Nuggets Starters

Jamal Murray
Gary Harris
Wilson Chandler
Paul Millsap
Nikola Jokic[/column]
[column size=”1/2″]Hornets Starters

Kemba Walker
Jeremy Lamb
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Marvin Williams
Dwight Howard[/column]
[/columns]

Can Denver’s point guards break out?

If there is one position that the Nuggets could use a bounce-back performance from it is the point guard spot.

Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay have struggled been up-and-down through the first three games of the season but have also had to match up with some strong opposing lead guards. Denver has already faced Ricky Rubio, George Hill, De’Aaron Fox, and John Wall.

This is not to say that Kemba Walker is a slouch in any way but the Hornets point guard rotation of Walker and rookie Malik Monk, who is playing out of position due to injuries, is a much easier group to play against than Denver has faced thus far.

If there was a game for either of Mudiay or Murray to break out so far throughout the season it would be tonight. Look for Malone and the Nuggets to try to incorporate their point guards early and to take advantage of the lack of defense that the Hornets have at the point of attack.

Will the defensive pressure continue?

The most surprising storyline surrounding the Nuggets is how effective their new defensive scheme is right out of the gate. Each and every player that has been asked about how they enjoy the new defensive system has raved about playing more aggressively.

So far, the new defensive system has paid off. The Nuggets are 10th in the league in Defensive Rating and are giving up just 101 points per 100 possessions. Compared to last season’s 110.5 DefRtg, the level of improvement is huge even if it is over a small sample size.

If Denver is able to keep up this new level of defensive intensity and aggression it would be a monumental step forward for the Nuggets, who have been one of the worst defensive teams in basketball for the past three seasons. Becoming even a top-20 defensive unit, an accomplishment that Denver has not been achieved since the 2012-13 season, would make the Nuggets a significantly better team.

Limiting turnovers

Most of the Nuggets’ attention for the rest of the season should be and needs to be focused on limiting turnovers. If the Nuggets were able to cut out ten of their 61 total turnovers on the season they would likely be one of the few undefeated teams left.

“It is frustrating because we are losing games because of it,” Malone said. “Let’s be honest, if we want to be a playoff team, we cannot beat ourselves every night.”

The Nuggets already have 61 turnovers in just three games which works out to just over 20 turnovers a night. To pile on the awful turnover statistics, Denver is turning the ball over 20.3 times per 100 possessions — also worst in the league.

Unless Denver finds a way to drastically cut down on their turnovers it seems that losses in very winnable games will become a theme. Look for the Nuggets to continue putting a massive emphasis on valuing the ball once again as they have all year so far.

Taking care of winnable games on the road

The Nuggets are heading out on a four-game east coast road trip against four teams (Charlotte, Atlanta, New York, and Brooklyn) that Denver is clearly more talented than. Denver should be able to go 3-1 at the minimum on this road trip and, if they fail to accumulate those three wins, the panic meter will begin rapidly.

One of the developmental leaps that the Nuggets are looking for as a team is the ability to put bad teams away on the road. Luckily, the Nuggets schedule favors them to start the year. Denver is a better team than the injury-ridden Hornets and should be able to win the next three games against Atlanta, New York, and Brooklyn. There should be no discussion about that.

If the Nuggets truly feel like a playoff contending team they need to show that they can go out on the road and beat lesser teams. That test starts Wednesday night in Charlotte.