Nuggets Roundtable: Who's entering the playoffs under the most pressure?

The Nuggets are limping to the finish line of the regular season. Denver has lost three of its last four games with only three more games remaining before the Nuggets. DNVR Nuggets discusses if their playoff expectations have changed with the recent slide, what they hope to see from the Nuggets before the playoffs, and who’s entering the postseason with the most individual pressure.

Have your playoff expectations changed with how poorly the Nuggets have played as of late?

Adam Mares: I wouldn’t say “expectations” since I don’t think I’ve had expectations. I have hopes! But all year the Nuggets have looked like a team that is likely to win the championship as they are to lose in the first or second round. They have a high upside and low downside. Over the last month, we’ve seen that downside. It hasn’t done much to reassure my worst fears but it also hasn’t rattled my biggest hopes for the team. In the playoffs, we’ll see a more focused Nuggets team.

Harrison Wind: The only part of Denver’s expectations that have changed for me is that the Nuggets may have a lower floor than I previously thought. What we will find out once and for all in these playoffs is if the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic are the ultimate flip-the-switch team, like I think they are. When a game matters and Denver has something to play for, Jokic shows up and his teammates fall behind. NBA teams typically take on the personality of their best player, and when Jokic is locked in so are the rest of the Nuggets. I think that will be the case starting with Game 1 of the playoffs, but we won’t know for sure until that moment is here. Expectations should still be championship or bust and this team should still have plans on making it out of the West. This last month shouldn’t dismiss what the Nuggets did over the majority of the regular season.

Brendan Vogt: They’re lower than they once were. I know what the Nuggets look like at their best, and I’m confident their best is good enough to win it all. Unfortunately, it’s easier than ever to envision them beating themselves. Too many turnovers, poor three-point shooting, and anything less than a maximum effort on defense could cost them in a series. That said, Jokić will take the playoffs more seriously than that game in Houston, and the rest of the team will likely follow suit. Denver has a playing-down problem. In theory, that shouldn’t rear its head in the playoffs. The intensity should take care of itself.

What’s one thing you want to see from the Nuggets in their final three games

Mares: Peyton Watson. That’s it. There really isn’t anything I can see from the main players at this point. But Peyton having another game or two like the one he had against the Warriors would be the perfect way to end the season.

Wind: I want these last three games to be a complete Peyton Watson showcase, and he should be playing 20+ minutes in all three. Does he continue to flash the skill set that we’ve seen on display, or do defenses start to catch onto his tendencies? If this ascension continues he can be a weapon that Michael Malone situationally deploys in the postseason. Everything that he’s doing now also matters to next season. This is real momentum that Watson can use heading into the summer and next year. I’d think that Watson has an inside track on an actual rotation spot next season based on what he’s done over the last week — I don’t think that was necessarily the case before he entered the rotation a few games ago.

Vogt: I’d like to see the Nuggets play their brand of basketball and subsequently enjoy themselves. I’d like to see a ball is popping possession followed by a gratuitous bench celebration. The joy was palpable and contagious when the Nuggets were at their best in Ball Arena this season. Everything is such a slog right now. It should be more fun to watch them play.

What Nuggets players are entering the playoffs under the most pressure?

Mares: Obviously Jokic, who probably has the most pressure of any player in the NBA. But I think Michael Malone will be the person that we see showing the most stress. His job is on the line over the next month of the season. That can’t be a comfortable feeling, especially considering the various former players, coaches, front office members he could face in the first round. The Timberwolves have Chris Finch, his former assistant coach and offensive architect. Not to mention Tim Connelly. The Clippers have Bones Hyland, who departed on icy terms with Malone. The Lakers have Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley, who didn’t get on the court much under Malone’s leadership. There are no shortage of ghosts ready to haunt Malone should the team come up short.

Wind: Of course, Nikola Jokic has the most pressure, but Michael Porter Jr. also has a ton on his shoulders. He has to be the consistent and reliable scorer that he was for the Nuggets this season all playoffs long. He can’t be taken out of playoff games like he was two years ago. He has to bring it every single night. If he doesn’t and he looks like the same playoff player that he was in the past, and that leads to Denver falling short of the Finals, I’d think Porter’s a prime trade candidate this offseason.

Vogt: Jamal Murray has a sneaky strong case here. He’s yet to make an All-Star game, and the surgery put a lot of distance between him and his iconic bubble performance. Denver will have to look in the mirror and consider virtually every option should they fall short. Murray, the consensus second-best player throughout the Jokić-era, needs to deliver. He can change his perception forever with a great run. He can go down in Nuggets history right alongside the big fella.