Heading into the latter part of the regular season, the race to the playoffs have never been this tight in the 2022-23 NBA season. On the other hand, some teams have already secured a seat in the upcoming stage of the season, one of which is the West leaders Denver Nuggets, standing with an outstanding 49-24 win-loss card.
One of the keys to the Nuggets’ current success in the league by far has been their commendable offensive efficiency, generating a league second-best 117.6 offensive rating after 73 games. While their offense has been stellar throughout the season, things have not similar in terms of the team’s defense,
posting a league-mediocre 113.8 defensive rating.
Michael Malone, the team’s head coach, definitely is aware of these defensive woes. Should the Nuggets be concerned with their defensive rating?
How can this affect the team’s performance in the upcoming playoffs? Moreover, does this make any change to Denver’s NBA 2022-23 odds?
You can check how to bet on the Denver Nuggets in Colorado here.
DEPRESSING DEFENSIVE DOWNFALL
The Nuggets’ defense has gone up and down throughout the tourney’s run. After beginning the season with an alarming 115.7 defensive rating, even dropping to third worst at some point during the season, things took a turn for the team as they were able to climb up the rankings and go to as high as tenth-best last December.
In an interview, Malone himself stressed how essential good defense is for his team. “You can win regular season games like that, but you’re not going to win a playoff series if your recipe is to outscore teams… I don’t like winning games when it’s just offense, and that’s got to change at some point.”
Defense has always been the reason for the team’s losses this season, garnering a comparatively lower 122.4 rating in losses than they do in wins (109.6). Recently, the team has lost four of their last seven games, to which they had an accumulated 119.5 rating on defense.
The Nuggets should definitely be concerned with this, especially with how it has been significantly affecting their performance and how it can possibly lead to another unfortunate playoffs slump
this season.
After losing three straight games coming into their game against the Raptors, which they also failed to win, Malone expressed how their “defense has been non-existent” in those three losses. Good thing,
Denver is slowly getting back on track after securing back-to-back wins against the Nets and the Wizards
a few days back, wherein they exhibited an improved overall defense reflected in
their 113.2 rating.
Can the Nuggets consistently show up on defense this time? We will see their upcoming performances.
4th and climbing 📈 pic.twitter.com/0PSqBbRvpJ
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 26, 2023
WHAT TO DO
There are a few things the Nuggets can do to ensure consistency on defense heading into the playoffs this season.
To start with, Nikola Jokić, despite being the biggest standout player for the Nuggets, has to maximize his physicality every time he steps foot on the court. As the backbone of the team’s defense, the two-time league MVP has to realize that the Nuggets heavily rely on him on defense.
He can work on effectively guarding the pick-and-roll and enhancing his foot speed to keep up with the fast-paced schemes of the opposing teams.
In relation with this, he can also work on his athleticism to protect the rim more effectively, as most of the time, several big men find themselves driving to the rim with ease when Nikola is the defender.
In addition, Denver has to keep in mind that everybody has to defend, not just the starters. Say one of the starters is struggling and the team has to bank on a second-stringer, that particular player has to take defense seriously.
It is a good thing that the team’s bench has stepped up big time on defense in their recent games. Say Denver takes full advantage of this recent development, bagging the title would not be impossible for the team.
Finally, the Nuggets have to have the “defense wins championships” mentality embedded in their minds. As a matter of fact, since defensive rating was measured a couple of decades ago, only two teams outside of top 11 defenders won an NBA title: the 1994-95 Houston Rockets and the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers.
With this in mind, the essence of defense as a key to bagging the title is exposed. Hence, the Nuggets have to work twice as much to have their still inconsistent defensive prowess match them already beyond spectacular offensive efficiency.
Mornin', Wuggets Wation
How is everyone feelin' ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/43JrziZWEF
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 26, 2023
A Very Positive Season So Far, But…
Overall, the Denver Nuggets have been playing one of the best seasons they have ever had. Clinching their fifth consecutive playoffs appearance was definitely one for the books. Can they make this feat even better by overcoming their defensive woes?
It is safe to say that the Nuggets have nothing to worry about on the offensive end. As for their defense, it is a good thing that they are slowly picking up and they considerably have enough time to incorporate these points in their upcoming games and eventually take home their first-ever NBA crown.
Final Thoughts
The season is still too long yet the time is too short for teams to make necessary mid-season adjustments. Hence, taking advantage of the time they have got and working twice, even thrice as much, on solidifying their defensive prowess, is what is going to save the West-leading Denver Nuggets in the
succeeding stages of this tourney.
The Denver Nuggets will attempt to extend their winning streak to three as they face league leaders Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, March 25, in their home at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
👋 if you got the W pic.twitter.com/3PO0rDbxmn
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 26, 2023
Credits on Featured Image: David Herrera
