The official Denver Nuggets thread.

[beastlyskronk]

Joker with 39 of the 75 points thru 3 quarters. They need a consistent Robin to his Batman. Murray ain't it. He is consistently inconsistent.

I don’t think it’s really Murray that’s the problem. Especially last night when it was just Murray, Jokic and our g league team.

Right now the team relies on Jokic for everything. Murray is the only other person that can create for himself outside of the occasional Milsap bulldozer. But when Murray is out there without Jokic there’s no one to take attention off of him which is where he really struggles and it’s why he’s been used as a 2 guard in those situations. But Murray is still adding to his game which is good. His little post up is nice, now he just needs a counter because it’s always a fade away jump shot.

But no one else has really stepped up. At least not the people we had hoped for. MPJ’s plan to score is still the same as when he came in, just shoot over the top of people. And he is really starting to seem uninterested in being a 3rd or 4th option as he’s doing more and more standing around and half the time he’s bobbling passes because he isn’t paying attention. Barton is still to frail to finish at the rim consistently and his jump shot has always been hit or miss. Harris started to find his stroke from the lower wing down but who knows how long it’ll take to get going again once he finally comes back.

Dozier and Morris have really been our best tertiary scorers. Dozier 3 ball was getting consistent before the hamstring and he generally finishes well around the rim, but you can tell he’s still unsure as he’s driving whether he should facilitate or score but that should get better as he settles into being a wing player and not a point guard. Morris is always steady, he’s never really going to put up a lot of points himself but he finishes well and can knock down open shots and gets everyone involved while protecting the ball. But these guys are our bench right now at least until Hampton and Nnaji get up to speed.

Tricky thing is, we need Harris for defense and Barton provides an extra ball handler to do the 2 man game with Jokic so it isn’t always Murray. Right now we should probably be looking to package Barton, Bol Bol, and at this point even MPJ for a legitimate scoring threat on the wing. But the question is who? I’d have argued for Wiggins awhile back but GS isn’t letting him go now. Julius randle maybe? Buddy Hield might be a good option for scoring especially as a 3rd option but he’s not good defensively and probably can’t give you many minutes at the 3 but Malone is also trotting out lineups with Murray at the 3 and Green at center so who knows

[darryn16]

I don’t think it’s really Murray that’s the problem. Especially last night when it was just Murray, Jokic and our g league team.

Right now the team relies on Jokic for everything. Murray is the only other person that can create for himself outside of the occasional Milsap bulldozer. But when Murray is out there without Jokic there’s no one to take attention off of him which is where he really struggles and it’s why he’s been used as a 2 guard in those situations. But Murray is still adding to his game which is good. His little post up is nice, now he just needs a counter because it’s always a fade away jump shot.

But no one else has really stepped up. At least not the people we had hoped for. MPJ’s plan to score is still the same as when he came in, just shoot over the top of people. And he is really starting to seem uninterested in being a 3rd or 4th option as he’s doing more and more standing around and half the time he’s bobbling passes because he isn’t paying attention. Barton is still to frail to finish at the rim consistently and his jump shot has always been hit or miss. Harris started to find his stroke from the lower wing down but who knows how long it’ll take to get going again once he finally comes back.

Dozier and Morris have really been our best tertiary scorers. Dozier 3 ball was getting consistent before the hamstring and he generally finishes well around the rim, but you can tell he’s still unsure as he’s driving whether he should facilitate or score but that should get better as he settles into being a wing player and not a point guard. Morris is always steady, he’s never really going to put up a lot of points himself but he finishes well and can knock down open shots and gets everyone involved while protecting the ball. But these guys are our bench right now at least until Hampton and Nnaji get up to speed.

Tricky thing is, we need Harris for defense and Barton provides an extra ball handler to do the 2 man game with Jokic so it isn’t always Murray. Right now we should probably be looking to package Barton, Bol Bol, and at this point even MPJ for a legitimate scoring threat on the wing. But the question is who? I’d have argued for Wiggins awhile back but GS isn’t letting him go now. Julius randle maybe? Buddy Hield might be a good option for scoring especially as a 3rd option but he’s not good defensively and probably can’t give you many minutes at the 3 but Malone is also trotting out lineups with Murray at the 3 and Green at center so who knows

Absolutely agree with this. It's almost like the rest of the team is standing by and watching Jokic to see what he will do. No help equals inconsistency and getting bounced from the playoffs; IF they make it.

[lvbronx]

I’m beginning to think they see him as too big of a project. Obviously he’s super athletic and long and can do things a guy his size shouldn’t be able to, but either his basketball IQ is extremely low (makes sense given how little he’s actually played throughout his career) or he’s content to just rely on his natural gifts.

I think he’s got to be on the trade block

Bol didn't play against the Celtics, which is telling with all the injuries. From the box score it looks like only Bol and someone named Whittington didn't play.

With all the injuries, there's not a lot I expect from the team. Joker and Murray are our two best players, but IMO our next 5 best are all out, including our next 4 best guards. The local sports (Lombardi) said the Nuggets FO wasn't concerned about the loss to Boston. Their concern is MPJ. He and Green combined to shoot 1 for 15. MPJ has to start stepping up. Right now he's a lot closer to being the next JR Smith than Kevin Durant.

[GMTD]

How about that? Conceding 46 points in the 2Q to the Wizards?

[beastlyskronk]

I’d probably trade MPJ straight up for Davis Bertans at this point. Just too much regression from MPJ so far. If he doesn’t get it turned around soon I don’t think he’ll make it past the trade deadline.

[beastlyskronk]

Bol didn't play against the Celtics, which is telling with all the injuries. From the box score it looks like only Bol and someone named Whittington didn't play.

With all the injuries, there's not a lot I expect from the team. Joker and Murray are our two best players, but IMO our next 5 best are all out, including our next 4 best guards. The local sports (Lombardi) said the Nuggets FO wasn't concerned about the loss to Boston. Their concern is MPJ. He and Green combined to shoot 1 for 15. MPJ has to start stepping up. Right now he's a lot closer to being the next JR Smith than Kevin Durant.

Yeah I definitely think Bol Bol is going to be on his way out. Barton has been out due to “personal reasons”, not sure what they are but teams have done stuff like this in the past when looking to move someone to avoid saying they’re sitting him while they pursue trade options.

I know there has been speculation in the past and the Wizards keep shooting everything regarding Beal down, but if there’s any chance he’s available I would definitely offer them Porter, Bol, and Barton along with whatever picks.

[Houshmazode]

Fire malone

[GMTD]

Jamal Murray has just scored 50 points without a single FT attempt, an NBA record for a regular season game.

[lvbronx]

Jamal Murray has just scored 50 points without a single FT attempt, an NBA record for a regular season game.

Yeah...and it's something like only the 4th time since the merger someone took 25 shots and hit at 84%+. I noticed Joker shot a tech free throw for us. It had been Murray shooting even though his FT% is down. It was kind of strange...we were pretty hot but when we missed we had quite a few air balls. Some of them weren't even close.

[beastlyskronk]

Bol Bol getting some minutes with Green/Millsap out and MPJ in early foul trouble. His awareness on the court and his energy just arent very good. Not sure if he’s scared of getting pump faked but he hasn’t jumped yet to contest a shot. But his length has shown up a few times to result in some steals

[darryn16]

Fire malone

I am in support of this!!!!!

[Bronco51]

Let's go get Boogie. Just start doing something different.

[beastlyskronk]

Let's go get Boogie. Just start doing something different.

It sounds good in theory but he’s just a lesser version of Jokic. He can carry some of the scoring load when Jokic sits but he doesn’t seem to be interested in coming off the bench and I don’t think his offense makes up for his defense at this stage in his career.

Hartenstein is playing well. His energy, athleticism, and length shows up a lot on defense. Drew a tough matchup last night against Melo but he forced turnovers and is a good rim protector. He also seems to be developing some good chemistry with Morris and Facu on pick and rolls. He’s everything I ever wanted Plumlee to be.

[beastlyskronk]

We just need a 3rd option to consistently get 15-20 points a game. Someone who will attack the basket and not settle for jump shots. We look good when Barton attacks, or Dozier, or even Harris when he plays. We play 5 out so it’s so hard for defenders to come over and help when guys attack but so often when we lose it’s become everyone just wants to stand in place and hope their guy leaves to help on Jokic or Murray.

Bottom line, we can’t afford to keep this formula of Jokic dragging this team until the 4th quarter for Murray to take over in his 2 man game with Jokic.

[darryn16]

We just need a 3rd option to consistently get 15-20 points a game. Someone who will attack the basket and not settle for jump shots. We look good when Barton attacks, or Dozier, or even Harris when he plays. We play 5 out so it’s so hard for defenders to come over and help when guys attack but so often when we lose it’s become everyone just wants to stand in place and hope their guy leaves to help on Jokic or Murray.

Bottom line, we can’t afford to keep this formula of Jokic dragging this team until the 4th quarter for Murray to take over in his 2 man game with Jokic.

I'm just tired of the win one, lose one pattern that is developing. I just can't understand why they can't string some wins together.