By Jordan Long
The Denver Nuggets start the 2019-2020 NBA season tonight in Portland, Oregon. The home opener will be on Friday against the Phoenix Suns. The Nuggets come into the year with high expectations after last season when they went 54-28, 2nd in the Western Conference. They lost to the Portland Trailblazers in 7 games in the 2nd-round.
Denver is hoping to improve on that record this year. This is a team built to win now and in the future. The goal should be not only getting back to the NBA playoffs but making the Western Conference Finals. If they can’t do that, it is a failure of a season.
For Denver this is a team that can score. They have shooters who can make baskets all over the court. They averaged 110.7 points per game last season. That should be around the same this season. It will be vital for starters Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton, Paul Millsap, and Nikola Jokic to set the pace. They have to score points early and often. If they can, that gives Denver large leads.
The bench in Monte Morris, Malik Beasley, Jerami Grant, Mason Plumlee, and Michael Porter Jr. must keep it up. Last year there were times when the starters played well, but the bench let them down. They lost the big leads and by the time Head Coach Mike Malone took a timeout, the score was close or they were behind. That can’t happen.
Denver must box out for rebounds on offense. These will reset the shot clock for them to have an extra possession on offense which will equal second chance points.
On defense, Denver gave up 106.7 points per game. The Nuggets couldn’t handle opponents passing the ball around. They left a shooter wide open for a 3-pointer or an easy dunk. Denver must talk and switch on defense. When they do, there is a hand in the face of a shooter and it won’t be easy shots. They can’t allow teams to rebound and have 2nd chance opportunities. When they have a chance to grab a rebound, those can be fast break opportunities for them on offense.
One area they need to improve is free throws. The Nuggets were able to drive into the lane on offense but were fouled. When it came to free throws, Denver didn’t make many. They ended at 75.5%. That percentage needs to be around 80%. They are lucky those missed free throws didn’t cost them to drop to a 3rd or a 4th seed in the West. If Denver can make free throws, a 2 or 3 point game late in the 4th quarter becomes a 2 possession game.
The West is stacked with franchises who have talent in Golden State, Houston, Portland, Utah, L.A. Clippers, and L.A. Lakers. All of them should be in the running for the playoffs. Denver is a young team who could be dangerous this year and make the postseason as a top seed. 50 wins should get them in but to be 1, 2, or even a 3 seed Denver might need to win at least 54 games. It all starts tonight against Portland. The early season success may set the tone for the rest of the year.
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