NBA Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets’ First Month Grade

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By @mrmarykateolsen

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The Denver Nuggets are a difficult group to get a read on. Two years ago, the team finished third in the Western Conference with a 57-25 record. Last season, they were decimated by injuries and struggled through the growing pains of having a first-time head coach in Brian Shaw, which led to a 36-win campaign and a lottery pick.

This year, with Arron Afflalo back in the fold and a seemingly clean bill of health, is it reasonable to expect them to return to playoff form in a tougher Western Conference? And to that end, how do you grade their first month’s performance? The uneven results thus far make those difficult questions to answer.

Despite their perceived depth and lack of major injuries, the Nuggets faltered coming out of the gate, winning only one of their first seven games. The team was struggling mightily on the defensive side. Shooting was an issue. Kenneth Faried wasn’t earning his paycheck, Danilo Gallinari was having a difficult time returning to his pre-injury state and Afflalo was inconsistent in his efforts to assimilate himself back back into Denver’s attack. Upon falling to 1-6, the Nuggets were probably the most disappointing team in the league, which is really saying something given what the Cleveland Cavaliers have gone through.

Alas, that opening stretch is a supreme example of the simple truth that things are rarely as good or bad as they seem. Reality usually lies somewhere in the middle, and for the Nuggets, the reality is that they remain one of the deepest teams in the NBA and a squad that, on any given night, can pull out the win regardless of the opponent. With Shaw tightening his rotations, players meshing better on the court and a greater focus on defending the ball and cleaning up the glass, Denver has won seven of their last nine games, battling their way back to .500 and respectability.

It will be hard for him to get there once again with so many great point guards in the west, but Ty Lawson continues to play like an All-Star. After scuffling through some horrendous shooting nights to start the season, Lawson has rallied to become the floor general Shaw expects him to be. Perhaps no player in the league creates more for himself and his teammates when taking the ball to the rack. As the season progresses, he should be able to get his shooting back on track. In the meantime, he narrowly trails Rajon Rondo as the top assist man in the NBA and is the beating heart of the Nuggets’ offense.

Afflalo has been a leader for the team as well. During the recent win streak, he was a more consistent scorer for Denver and helped key the improved defensive effort that has transformed his squad’s season. He may never reach the level of offensive potency he enjoyed with the Orlando Magic, but he will still be relied upon to score the basketball and has done so as of late.

On the injury front, Randy Foye is expected to miss significant time with a torn quad. This obviously will hurt the team’s guard rotation and outside shooting, but on the plus side, Gallinari is starting to play like his old self. This may be my own man-crush talking, but when Gallinari is healthy, he’s a special talent with a unique skill set. His ability to play more minutes and do so effectively has been key in some of the recent wins.

On the down side, Faried has yet to really click in this season. By his own appraisal, the Manimal’s play so far has been “awful.” That may be a slight overstatement, but he’s definitely got some work to do. Despite their improved effort recently, the team’s defense continues to be a work in progress as well. For the Nuggets to get to where they want to be, they have to make continued progress in that area. As it stands, they’re not good enough on both sides of the ball to be considered a potential playoff team.

So with all that considered, where does this team stack up? Are they the team that won five in a row recently or the one that lost multiple winnable games? I lean towards the former, but I’m waiting for them to show me more.

Grade for November: B- 

Ryan Aston covers the Utah Jazz for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @MrMaryKateOlsen or add him to your network on Google.

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