“Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.”- Theodore Roosevelt If the former Bull Moose Party leader knows anything about anything, these Denver Nuggets and their fanbase must have a lot of belief, because for better and for worse, the team is halfway there. At the close of last season, and with the looming returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter,…
Have the Nuggets comfortably outmatched the Timberwolves in the first two contests? Yes. Have they played games they will need to vastly improve upon to notch 14 more wins before all is said and done? Hell. Yes. Wildly, in this case, both things can be true. While the Denver Nuggets have gotten off to a primarily-hot start in this year’s playoffs, they have also shown us promise…
It’s close to a miracle what can happen when a basketball engine runs perfectly. But this sh– is fragile, and no one knows it better than Nuggets Nation.
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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1. “Peel Sting” is one of Denver’s go-to isolation plays for their power forwards and one of the most common set plays in Michael Malone’s playbook. The play starts with a 1-4 ball screen that usually forces a switch before leading to a mid or low post touch for the “4” to attack a mismatch. Here are several examples from…
There is a play from last preseason that has stuck in my mind all year long. In it, Aaron Gordon set a ball screen for Nikola Jokic, forcing a switch and catching Karl-Anthony Towns who jumped on the high side of the screen, leaving a wide open paint for Gordon to roll to the basket for an easy dunk. Gordon…...
When you’re playing against a stacked deck, compete even harder. Show the world how much you’ll fight for the winners circle. If you do, someday the cellophane will crackle off a fresh pack, one that belongs to you, and the cards will be stacked in your favor.- Pat RileyThough Mr. Riley’s words are strong and apt, he’s a funny person…
Here's one thing that's clear after Games 1 and 2 of Nuggets-Warriors: Green has zero respect Gordon's jumper.
Gordon let the Warriors "off the hook" in Game 1.
1. The Denver Nuggets have ranked in the lower half of the NBA in terms of field goal attempts off of screens in each of the last five seasons. The team’s identity is to play through Nikola Jokic out of the post, elbow, and off of pick-and-rolls (PnRs) and dribble handoffs (DHOs) and with Jamal Murray as the primary shooter,…...
It was another vintage defensive game from Gordon against Bradley Beal and the Wizards.
It's been nine months since the Nuggets traded for Aaron Gordon. Are you still feeling as good about the deal today as you did then?
How Aaron Gordon attacked the rim vs. Chicago is the blueprint for how he needs to play going forward.
How serious is Michael Porter Jr.'s back injury? Could the Nuggets have found their next Torrey Craig in the G League?
The Nuggets have also held 10 of their 13 opponents under 100 points this season. Come again?
Gordon had another moment Friday -- his second in his short but revealing Nuggets tenure.
For a brief, 2-week stretch last season, Aaron Gordon looked like the final piece to the Denver Nuggets’ championship roster. His defensive versatility and willingness to fit in as the 4th or 5th option on offense meshed perfectly with the trio of Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, and Michael Porter Jr. With a season of experience under his belt and with…
DNVR: Welcome back to Nuggets basketball! Even with the last three seasons being packed so tightly together, you seem to be very ready to get back to basketball. Is that right? Katy Winge: Well, when you say I’m “ready”, I think what I’m ready for is that feeling of normalcy. I think that cliche, “you don’t know what you’ve got…...
How MPJ plans to punish mismatches this season, and why both Aaron Gordon and Will Barton are in a great head space this year.
The Nuggets and Aaron Gordon have agreed to a four-year, $92 million extension that will keeps the forward in Denver for the foreseeable future. Here’s what the DNVR Nuggets crew thinks of the deal. What was your initial reaction to the extension? Harrison: $92 million is a lot for Aaron Gordon….if you’re a middling non-contender. If you’re the Nuggets, a…...
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