Turnovers getting in way
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division
WLThis is an interesting portion of the NBA calendar. Preseason story lines are over, but the sample size of games is so small that everything feels like an overreaction.
Still, the Nuggets are 1-2 after Monday night’s loss to the Washington Wizards. Next, Denver will embark on its first extended trip to the East Coast, starting with Wednesday’s contest at Charlotte before facing Atlanta on Friday and finishing with a back-to-back set against the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks on Sunday and Monday.
Though there’s still much to be sorted out during a long season, here’s what we’ve learned about the Nuggets through three games:
1. Too many turnovers. One of Denver’s biggest preseason priorities remains an issue, as the Nuggets entered Tuesday ranked last in the NBA with 20.3 per game. Nikola Jokic (4.7 per game), Paul Millsap (3.3), Gary Harris (2.7) and Emmanuel Mudiay (2.7) have been the most prone to giving the ball away. The Nuggets’ season-high 24 turnovers against Washington — many of them careless — left coach Michael Malone visibly frustrated.
2. Point guard
Releasing Jameer Nelson to make room on the 15-man roster to sign Richard Jefferson signaled that Denver was ready to hand the point guard duties over to youngsters Jamal Murray and Mudiay. The results so far have been mixed, at best. Murray, a 20-yearold in his first season as a fulltime starter, has connected on just 7 of his first 27 field-goal attempts. Mudiay put together a solid stat line against the Sacramento Kings but committed five turnovers against Washington. This is why Denver has been floated by outside prognosticators as a possible landing spot for disgruntled Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe, who was sent home from the team Monday.
3. The Joker. Jokic got off to a peculiar start, going scoreless for six quarters while still leading the Nuggets in rebounds and assists. Jokic exploded for 29 points against the Wizards but sarcastically remarked “maybe it’s better for me to not score” since Denver lost. That shows he truly cares more about team success than personal numbers, though Malone knows the Nuggets need Jokic to consistently stuff the stat sheet. How he and Millsap continue to develop chemistry is worth watching over the next few weeks.
3. Forward thinking. The Nuggets’ biggest positional logjam has been partially solidified due to Malone’s decision-making, and partially due to health. Kenneth Faried won the backup power forward job behind Millsap, consistently entering the game at the start of the second quarter and playing well by averaging 8.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high 71.4 percent from the field. Faried’s emergence means Trey Lyles, who was acquired via a draftnight trade, is currently out of the rotation. Second-year small forward Juancho Hernangomez also typically entered the game with Faried but has been diagnosed with mononucleosis. With Hernangomez indefinitely sidelined, starting small forward Wilson Chandler could also see time at power forward, or Jefferson could be in line for an on-court role.
5. Getting defensive?
DENVER AT CHARLOTTE Spotlight on Dwight Howard:
Again, it’s way too early to categorize the Nuggets as a solid defensive team. But Denver’s simplified-yet-aggressive style held the Kings to 79 points and was “really good” against the high-scoring Wizards, Malone said. Denver’s big men are hedging more on pick and rolls to help the guards. Defensive lapses were part of Denver’s collapse in its season-opening loss at Utah. But the effort against the Kings helped the Nuggets win a game in which it did not reach 100 points, something Denver never accomplished during the 2016-17 season. And Malone believes his team’s defensive outing was strong enough to beat the Wizards, had the Nuggets not thrown away so many possessions. 5 p.m. Wednesday, ALT; 950 AM
In a frenzied summer of big-name player moves, the fact Howard was traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Hornets flew under the radar. Once dubbed “Superman” because of his thunderous dunking and defensive prowess, Howard is now out to prove his career is not on a steady decline. Charlotte is the fourth team Howard has played for since 2012. He entered Tuesday ranking second in the NBA with 17.3 rebounds per game while averaging 12.7 points.