The List: The Denver Nuggets are adjusting on the fly

One of the emerging story lines from the last few games has been how Michael Malone and the Denver Nuggets are slowly adapting the offensive playbook to fit the players who are available to the team right now. Some of those actions feature the two-man game of Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. Others feature Jokic and Jerami Grant. As the Nuggets are adjusting to the absence of Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap, they have started to settle into new plays and new roles.

Let’s take a look at today’s clips.

1. Just look at this absolutely filthy post up by Nikola Jokic.

2. One thing that I didn’t mention in the narration of the clip below is that the Nuggets appear to be placing Jokic in a true point guard role for this play. Jokic is often referred to as a “point center” but the truth is that he rarely is in the point guard spot for traditional NBA plays. He makes point guard plays from the center position or the team has altered common actions to get him the ball in position to make decisions like a point guard. For example, turning a pick and roll (PnR) into a dribble handoff (DHO).

In the clip below, Jokic is actually running the point guard spot on “ram stagger” or “ram chase.” It’s a two-man action designed to get Jerami Grant for a lob on the roll.

Here is an example of the team running this set last season.

3. Here was a nice play that the Nuggets ran to end the half against the Houston Rockets. Worked like a charm.

4. I’ve long thought that Malik Beasley’s offensive talents extend beyond shooting and slashing. Here he gives a quick and well-timed first step out of a PnR to draw contact and get to the line.

5. In recent editions of THE LIST, I have highlighted the “peel” action that the Nuggets run to get Michael Porter Jr. the ball on the left block. Here is another option that the Nuggets can target in that same play design.

6. Sometimes the misses can be encouraging. This play might be a glimpse into the future of Denver’s offense.

7. One of the most under rated aspects of Jokic’s game is that he is great at forcing players into hard-to-read situations, like the one below where he baits Derrick Favors into throwing the ball away.

8. I shared this story on twitter the day before Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash. I’ve shared my thoughts about Kobe’s tragic death and what he meant to me personally on the Locked on Nuggets podcast and DNVR’s Denver Sports Podcast but I figured I’d include this clip in today’s edition of The List.

The Full List