The Denver Nuggets, as of right now, sit at 39-22 in third place in the Western Conference as they were overtaken by the Lakers for the 2 spot. So, why do I think they are trouble? Third in the West is not a bad spot considering how the team started the year. However, the Nuggets, as long as they have Jokic and Murray, are in a place where it is always going to be Championship or Bust and this year I'm afraid they do not have what it takes to win a Championship.
The first issue I noticed is that the Nuggets are 3-10 against the top 4 teams in each conference. That, right off the bat, tells me they are not quite ready to compete against the best teams in the league. So because of that, it looks like round 2 will be as far as they go for the second straight year. The second issue was the Lakers game last Saturday where Denver was thoroughly manhandled 123-100. In that game, JJ Redick implemented a game plan where the Lakers would collectively guard Jokic by clogging the paint and forcing guys like Gordon, Westbrook, and Braun to shoot threes. This Lakers were not going to let Jokic be the reason they lose. As a result, Jokic had one of his worst games of the season going 2/7 from the field. He still ended up with a triple-double of 12 13 10 which showcases his greatness but it was still one of his worst games of the season.
Fast Forward to the game vs Boston yesterday. The Celtics employed a similar game plan of stacking the paint and forcing the Nuggets to beat them from the 3-point line because they knew the Nuggets could not consistently hit those shots. The Nuggets ended up taking more 3-pointers than the Celtics with 35 attempts. It was above their average of 31.5. The Nuggets right now do not have good outside shooters. The only guy who you can say is a bonafide shooter is MPJ but that's about it. Which brings me to Jamal Murray.
Jamal Murray is the X-factor. Us Nuggets fans say this every year but it is more relevant this year than even years before. He has to be great for the Nuggets to have a chance to compete for a title. He is the only player on the team other than Russ and Jokic who can get his shot and create for others. He has to be great because that will force defenses to play the Nuggets more honestly and it'll prevent them from clogging up the paint and then Jokic can get to work. If Murray isn't great none of this works. The Boston game was a perfect example. He had 2 points in the first and the Nuggets trailed by 13 at half and were down by as much as 20. In the second half, he scored 24 and the Nuggets were able to cut it to 3 at one point in the 4th quarter Jokic was able to play better because he had more on one opportunities. They ended up losing 110-103 but this game was evidence that this Nuggets team goes as far as Jamal Murray decides. Jokic will be good throughout the postseason but Murray has to be the fireworks show like he was in the 2020 playoffs and 2023 playoffs.
Can he do it?
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