Thank you to everyone who contributed in this weeks mailbag, there were not very many questions. That is okay though because it just allows me to ramble on about the Nuggets, while also answering a few (two) of your questions.
Some weeks there are just not that many questions and this week was one of them, Maybe that is because we are slowly starting to realize what type of squad this Nuggets team is.
*Looks around to make sure no one is around to hear*
*Looks again and again…*
*Whispers… the Nuggets are a defensive minded team*
GASP!
No really, I think it is true. The Nuggets have been all-in on defense this year and even though their offense has fallen behind, Denver is still near the top of the Western Conference standings, thanks to their defense.
The Nuggets 15-8 record — after their victory over the Portland Trail Blazers — is in large part to their 102.2 defensive rating, which is second in the NBA. On the flip side of that, the Nuggets offense ranks 22nd in the NBA with an offensive rating of 106.4.
That ranking is in large part due to the Nuggets just not making shots, which has been an issue to start the season. It was not a problem Thursday night when the Nuggets were 11-of-20 from three-point range after the first half, which hopefully means their offense is turning around.
Denver finished the game 18-of-36 from downtown and were led by Jerami Grant, who knocked down five three-pointers. If the Nuggets can figure out their three-point shot moving forward, not only will their offense come back to life, but it will compliment the tremendous defense they have been playing all season.
Another welcomed sight from Thursday night was the fact that Michael Porter Jr. was still in the rotation and Michael Malone allowed him to play through his mistakes. Porter started his minutes hot with two three-pointers, but let Carmelo Anthony blow by him for an easy lay in and committed a bad turnover on an unnecessary cross-sort pass.
Malone still kept Porter in though even after his mistakes, which might be a sign that the Nuggets have committed to using him more often going forward. That is the right decision if you ask me. Play the kid and see what happens, you really have nothing to lose.
As for some other news and notes, it looks like Nikola Jokic is back to normal and that is awesome to see. Not only has Jokic been more assertive offensively, but he is knocking down his three-point shots again.
Jokic has been incredibly engaged on both ends of the court as of late — even on the Nuggets tough road trip — and that is going to help the Nuggets offense immensely. This might be the start of a big December for Jokic, which will hopefully carry into the rest of the season.
Another welcomed sight from the Portland game is that Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap both played after being listed as questionable before the game. Neither player looked limited or hampered, that was until Millsap suffered right quad tightness and was a forced to miss most of the second half.
Millsap would end up playing just 15 minutes and scored six points and hauled in five rebounds. Murray on the other hand played 28 minutes and scored 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field, 2-of-5 from three-point range.
Now………… we will get to the question you guys sent in……. buckle up.
Like Alec said, I believe Bogdan Bogdanovic would not be a fan because he does deserve to start somewhere. Bogdan is too good of a player to not be starting and he would come off the bench for the Nuggets.
The guy I want Denver to trade for — and I’m not even sure if he is available — is JJ Redick. Not only would the Nuggets add arguably one of the best three-pointers in NBA history, but Redick would be a massive help to the offense that has — at times — struggled to start the year.
To stay on the subject of the Kings, why not Buddy Hield as a trade target? Hield is a knock down shooter that would be awesome on this Nuggets roster. I’m not certain he is available either, which might make a deal for his services hard to complete.
Retro Brazyy… you have come to the right place. Love everything about the lineup. Higbee is a solid play over Henry this week as long as Gerald Everett does not play. The only switch I would consider is maybe benching Courtland Sutton for Deebo?
The only upside with Sutton is that the Broncos should be trailing by a lot, so he should get a lot of garbage time minutes. Deebo has a really nice matchup against the Falcons, but I feel like Mostert is going to have a big day for them or at least I’m hoping.
I’d stick with what you got, especially since you have some room to work with after what Lamar Jackson did last night. I am playing against him in my fantasy championship game and let’s just say I was not a happy camper. He truly is a sight to behold though, so I guess something positive did come from them embarrassing Adam Gase on national television.