With 1:08 remaining in the first quarter of their latest loss to the Sacramento Kings, Randy Foye checked into the game, making him the 11th Denver Nuggets player to register time in only 11 minutes of play. When Alonzo Gee entered the game at the end of the second quarter, every active player on the roster had taken their respective turn at helping Brian Shaw find the most efficient combination of players.

Early-season games are often experimental and consist of coaches putting players inside a boiling pot to find the perfect blend of flavor and potency. However, there are typically key ingredients that remain a consistent part of the recipe, with the coach experimenting with some of the more ancillary ingredients that perfect the flavor.

With the Nuggets, it feels like Shaw doesn’t even have a good feel for who makes up the core of this team. Entering the season, Ty Lawson was often cited as this team’s leader, and Shaw even went so far as to challenge him to step into a more vocal leadership role. Through three games, Lawson looks lost and lacks the offensive aggressiveness he has shown flashes of through the past few years.

Even when he gets to the rim, he is looking to pass. Scoring seems like it is a burden only pursued when absolutely necessary.

Kenneth Faried has been inconsistent on the offensive end, but his rebounding is definitely improved, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Arron Afflalo is being aggressive, but his shooting percentage is an abysmal 37.5 percent that will inevitably increase. Timofey Mozgov has been very good defensively, but is struggling to pull down the rebounding numbers he should be.  These are the guys that Shaw is counting on, and they are proving to be less than dependable early on.

As a unit, this team is shooting a horrendous 39 percent from the floor, which is dead last in the league (tied with the New Orleans Pelicans). Their 3-point percentage is 24 percent, which ranks 29th in the NBA in front of only the Detroit Pistons. Thank you, Josh Smith. They are only dishing out 19.3 assists per game, which ranks near the bottom (24). These are all symptoms of a roster that doesn’t feel comfortable either playing with each other, or within the system they are being pigeonholed into.

It feels like the Nuggets are not clicking regardless of the combination of players put onto the floor, and maybe worse, it seems like they aren’t sure of the style of basketball they should be playing. Their execution in the halfcourt has not been very good, and perhaps even more concerning is the lack of the uptempo, running attack that Shaw promised fans prior to the season.

Through the first three games of the season, they are only averaging 11.7 fast break points per game.

Now, I don’t think it is all doom and gloom. I do think this team will begin to start knocking down some of their jump shots. They certainly won’t remain this cold for long. Danilo Gallinari was 0-of-6 last night, and is shooting 20 percent on the season. He hasn’t played meaningful basketball in more than a year, so some rust is to be expected. Wilson Chandler is shooting 34 percent, which will definitely get better. Lawson is shooting 37 percent, which will also gets better once he starts imposing his offensive will as he is capable of doing.

Many of their players are coming off of significant injuries and are easing their way back into the rotation, so I expect their efficiency to improve as they get more playing time.

However, much of what plagued the Nuggets last season appears to be rearing its ugly head once again. There is apparent uncertainty about who should be on the court, and once on the court, how they should be playing basketball as a unit. I am going to chalk this up to early-season experimentation for now, but at some point, Shaw needs to pick a core group of players to run with and a clear system to implement and refine.

I’ll remain patient, but the clock is ticking.

Court Zierk is a Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter@CourtZierk, “Like”him on Facebook or add him on Google