Tighter rotation fuels turnaround
Nuggets using fewer players, winning more
The Nuggets are playing within the lines this season. But they’re winning outside them. WhileKennethFaried sets perimeter picks and Timofey Mozgov hip-checks post-ups on the block, Denver coach BrianShawis thrivingbysending fewer players to the scorer’s table.
In his second season of transitioning theNuggets fromthe high-flying, freewheeling track team they were when theywere coached by George Karl to a team resembling something closer to an EasternConference grinder, Shawis learning that less is more.
TheNuggets, nearly capsized after a 1-6 start, have turned their season around by using a tighter rotation.
A concentrated rotation and fewer minutes for their big men has helped nudge the Nuggets back to .500 at 8-8 heading intoMonday’s game at Utah.
Shaw said he tightened his rotation simply because his starters have been playing better.
“Early on, our bench was carrying us for the most part. Our starters were struggling,” Shawsaid.“SoIwashappyto plug guys in earlier on to try to get some energy in the game. But our starters as of late are playing a lot better, so I’ve been leaving them on the floor formost of the first quarter. And letting them get a rhythm thatway. I’ve tightened the rotation up, trying to stay with 10 guys.”
TheNuggets have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA. But teams that are 13 players deep don’t win NBA titles.
Even Karl— who once toyedwith the idea of a “hockey rotation” with his centers, rotating three bigs at sixminute clips — can see the benefit of Shaw’s tighter lineup. WhentheNuggets were struggling earlyin the season, twice giving up 130 or more points, Karl piped up fromhisTVcommentator’s chair.
“One thing I think Brian is kind of caught up in a little bit is he’s playing too many players,” Karl said.
Shaw figured out the problem without outside prompting.
“I’ve been doing it gameby game, going on the feel,” Shaw said. “If a guy is going well, just letting him stay out a little longer. What I tried to do before is say, ‘OK, this guy is going to play this many minutes, then I’ll sub somebody in.’ But I don’t really like doing that.”
Denver’s starting lineup — Faried, Mozgov, Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo and Wilson Chandler — is getting more playing time week by week.
In their victories, Shaw is giving at least 12 minutes to an eight-player rotation. In their losses, he used, on average, 10 players with at least 12 minutes.
“I have noticed I’m typically out therewith the same set of guys, getting subbed outwith the same guys,” Afflalo said. “Any type of chemistry that is working for us together as a group — butmainly the five guyswho are on the floor— is always important.”
The Nuggets’ shorter bench in recent games also connects to Shaw using fewer centers. When the Nuggets went 1-6, Mozgov playedmore than 30 minutes just once. Since, he has topped 30 minutes five times. JaVale McGee, still slowed by a leg injury, and rookie Jusuf Nurkic are sitting more.
In the past, the Nuggets wanted a fresh set of legs on the court as often as possible. It helped them run the sneakers off visiting teams huffing air amile high. Now, though, in shortening their rotation, the Nuggets have more harmony. There is more efficiency.
“The cohesion on the offensive end — we now have defined roles of who’s going to score, wherewe’re going to be, bigs on the baseline, that’s where they get their points,” Lawson said. “We knowwhere shots are coming from, so people can go rebound and hustle.”