5 Takeaways From Denver Nuggets’ Early-Season Play

The Nuggets are shooting 41.7 percent from the floor and 30.5 percent from long distance. Danilo Gallinari is shooting 23 percent, Wilson Chandler 35 percent and Arron Afflalo 38 percent. These were supposed to be three of their most potent scorers, and so far the only thing they have been good at is filling up the opposing teams' defensive rebounding stats.

The Nuggets’ point differential right now is minus-10 points, with only the 76ers having a worse differential due in large part to a 53-point drubbing at the hands of the Mavericks. They are not only getting beat, they are being run out of the gym, even on their home court. They gave up 84 points to the Blazers the other night by halftime. That’s how bad things are right now.

Watching the Nuggets play basketball right now is akin to going down to the YMCA to watch an ad hoc pick-up game. There are no discernible offensive sets being run. It is all isolation basketball, resulting in contested shot after contested shot. Their defensive system is even worse. It seems like nobody has any idea how to play team defense. Rotations are a mess. Effort is a major issue.

To try and lighten the mood a bit, Lawson has been playing fairly well. He is leading the league in drives per game (13.8), resulting in fewer than five points for him but 15.2 points for his team, which also leads the league. He is getting to the rim, and although I’d like to see him be more aggressive with his own shots, he is finding open teammates. Just imagine if they could actually make the shot.

The Nuggets were a relative unknown entering the season, being picked to finish anywhere from 12th to 8th in the Western Conference. Even those who thought they may hover around the 36 games they won last year didn’t see them being this bad. This has all the makings of a historically bad Nuggets team, and people around Denver are already talking about the No. 1 overall pick.