Three observations: Seven games into the season, the Nuggets' bench is still rudderless

Three observations from the Nuggets’ 106-97 loss in Memphis to Ja Morant and the Grizzlies which dropped Denver’s record to 4-3 on the season.

Denver’s second unit remains rudderless

Michael Malone entered the season with a clear vision of what the identity of his second unit should be. The Facu Campazzo-Austin Rivers-PJ Dozier-JaMychal Green-Jeff Green five-man lineup was going to be a defensively-minded group that got stops, secured rebounds, ran, and punished teams in transition.

It’s been about the opposite

Denver’s all-bench second unit saw action in five of the Nuggets’ first seven games and posted a 121.5 Defensive Rating. It’s the worst defensive rating out of the 10 Nuggets lineups that have logged at least seven minutes this season. That lineup hasn’t had too many chances to run either since they’re mostly taking the ball out of the basket to begin every offensive possession. The all-bench lineup also posted a dismal 72.3 Offensive Rating and secured just 34.5% of all potential rebounds. For comparison, Denver’s starters have a 54.4% rebound rate.

Over the last week, Malone has pivoted. He’s adjusted by keeping one or two starters on the floor with his second unit at all times. The results have been inconsistent. A pivotal point in the Nuggets’ loss in Memphis occurred mid-way through the second half after Denver’s starters turned an eight-point late-second quarter deficit into a third-quarter lead. Then against the Nuggets’ Campazzo-Barton-Dozier-Green-Green bench to end the third quarter and start the fourth, the Grizzlies gradually built up a double-digit advantage. Memphis’ lead was 12 when Jokic checked back in with 7:44 left in the game.

Malone deserves credit for getting creative with the stagger, and it’s a better path forward than the original all-bench lineup Denver deployed to start the season. Bones Hyland has also gotten into the mix in the past two games and he’ll continue to get minutes — I think. Hyland has shown that he can at least occasionally make a triple, and he’s not afraid to shoot it. This burst and simply the threat Hyland possesses in the half-court will help any lineup he plays with going forward.

But the bottom line remains that the Nuggets lose their bearings the minute Jokic leaves the court. They’re rudderless without their MVP right now.

Here were Denver’s five possessions to end last night’s third quarter after Jokic subbed out at the 2:41 mark and the Nuggets began to lose whatever grip they had on the game. Minus Barton, who didn’t play well Monday, this group is allergic to the paint.

– Jeff Green post-up into a turnover (late clock)

– Campazzo missed 3

– Jeff Green missed step-back long two (late clock)

– Campazzo offensive foul

– JaMychal Green turnover

The Nuggets are holding steady at 4-3 but their record should be better. Jokic (+80) and Aaron Gordon (+74) rank first and second in the NBA in plus-minus. Monte Morris (+62) ranks 9th. The Nuggets’ starters have a 10.8 NetRtg and have outscored their opponent by 31 points in 138 mins. It’s the third-best five-man lineup in the NBA. JaMychal Green (-64 in 94 minutes) and Campazzo (-63 in 125 minutes) have the 10th and 11th worst +/- in the league respectively.

If the Nuggets’ second unit could just break even, Denver would be rolling right now.

Denver’s in real bad company from 3

After Monday’s loss, the Nuggets are shooting 30.1% from 3-point range this season. It’s the third-worst mark in the NBA. The two teams currently shooting the 3-pointer worse are the only two teams in the league who came into the season trying to lose — the Thunder and Pistons. Both OKC and Detroit are 1-6.

The quick fix is for Michael Porter Jr. to rediscover his stroke. Porter is shooting just 10-43 (23.3%) from distance and has already shot 30% or worse from the floor in four of seven games. He shot 30% or worse in a game just five times all of last season. If Porter was currently shooting 44.5% from beyond the arc, which is what he shot last year, the Nuggets as a team would be shooting 33.7% from 3. That would tie Denver with Boston for 16th in the NBA in 3-point shooting.

But it’s not just Porter, although he did put in nearly three triples per game last season, other players on the Nuggets’ roster aren’t holding up their end of the bargain from 3. The Green’s are a combined 6-31 (19.4%) from 3-point range and are much better career shooters than they’ve shown.

No one expected Campazzo to shoot better than the 35.2% he shot beyond the arc last season, but he’s only made three of his first 14 tries from 3. There were some rumblings about Aaron Gordon’s shot looking improved during training camp, but he’s shooting 5-19 (26.3%) from 3 so far. Gordon shot 26.6% from 3-point range in 25 games post-trade deadline last season.

Porter will eventually pull out of this early-season slump — remember that Jamal Murray notoriously started seasons ice cold from 3-point range– but he’s got to help himself out. He has to be a participant in his own recovery, as Malone likes to say.

Throughout the preseason, one of Malone’s points of emphasis for Porter was to run hard to the corners in transition. Denver wanted to take advantage of the 48% Porter shot on 91 corner 3s last year. But through seven games, Porter has attempted just five corner 3s. He’s missed all of them.

This was a good job by Porter of getting to the corner on a Nuggets’ fast break. Eventually, these will fall and this early-season trend should correct itself.

The rookie is trending up

Bones Hyland has averaged 17 minutes over the Nuggets’ last two games and it feels like he’s clearly vaulted Austin Rivers and is firmly in the rotation for now. Here are some initial impressions of his rotation minutes:

– Hyland’s not afraid to shoot it and already leads the Nuggets in 3-point rate — and it’s not close.

– His speed, quickness, and pace is a real weapon and can liven up Denver’s vanilla bench offense.

– He possesses a feel for the game that will help any lineup he plays with.

– He doesn’t back down from anyone.

On that last point, Hyland might have gotten his welcome to the NBA moment Monday. Ja Morant, who dominated most of the game for Memphis and finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, went at Hyland when he was on the floor late in the fourth.

Morant went through Hyland for this bucket with just under three minutes left while Denver was still hanging around. Check the “he’s too short” signal from Morant after the basket too.

Morant missed a pull-up jumper on the Grizzlies’ next possession down. Denver then switched Gordon onto Morant and forced another stop before Morant went at Hyland again.

The game’s pretty much over here when Morant stares Hyland down with 21 seconds left and Memphis up 10. But he wants another crack.

Welcome to the NBA.

Hyland never backed down from the moment. It’s a learning experience for the rookie. He’ll grow from it and be better because of it. He’s got a bright future ahead.