The List: The good, the bad, and the ugly for the Denver Nuggets

January 20, 2020

1. Torrey Craig does a lot of things well on the defensive end. Here, watch how light he is on his toes and how early he meets the rolling big man as a back side defender before sprinting out to the corner to take away the three-point shot.

In the second example, he meets Sabonis even higher up the floor, above the free throw line. This is great anticipation and reaction speed, two things that are essential for help defense.

2. One of the first goals of any offensive possession is to create an advantage, whether that is by collapsing the defense or by creating a favorable switch. The Pacers did that in the clip below but Denver was locked in defensively and was able to communicate a series of complex switches on the back side to get back into proper alignment.

3. Teams will start to throw new coverages and defender types at Michael Porter Jr. as he becomes a larger part of the offense.

On last Friday’s edition of WHAT MAKES THIS PLAY GREAT, I explained in detail the three plays that the Nuggets are running for Porter Jr. Do you recognize the one from the example above?

4. PJ Dozier has a lot of upside as a defender. He has nearly identical measurables to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the top point guard prospects in the NBA. Shai measured 6’4.5 with a 6’11.5 wingspan. Dozier measured 6’5.25 with a 6’11 wingspan. That length alone increases his margin for error but he is also a heady player, capable of making quick reads like the one below.

5. Timing is everything for the Denver Nuggets offense. Quick reads, both on ball and off ball, are the key to getting the ball poppin.

6. If quick rotations in the half court are impressive, those same rotations on the break are even more so.

7. Just Jokic being crafty.

8. This is one of the Pacers’ pet plays. They run a lot of action underneath and make quick reads to generate switches and find open shooters in the corners.

9. This is the most concerning thing about Jerami Grant’s fit long term alongside Jokic. He has the physical tools to be an incredible back side helper in the pick and roll but his timing and feel are off a bit too often, as was the case in the clip below.

10. But Grant did do a great job of bullying undersized wings in the post and on the boards when he got a chance. This isn’t something that he has done well all year so there might be a new emphasis for him to better utilize his physical advantages.