The Denver Nuggets opened their season with a lackluster offensive performance in a 102-87 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The loss included two quarters where the Nuggets failed to reach 20 points in a quarter. As a team, they shot 28.3% from the field in the second half. With high expectations, the Thunder showed out against the Nuggets. They lived up to those expectations with a dominating win over the Nuggets, whose bench play raised an early concern. Luckily, the season is long, which will give head coach, Michael Malone, plenty of time to figure out proper lineups.
The Nuggets’ Bench Needs More Offensive Firepower
Finding Rhythm From Downtown
The Nuggets already had a depth concern coming into the season, especially after first-round draft pick, DaRon Holmes II, went down with a torn Achilles before the season. After signing former league MVP Russell Westbrook, the Nuggets bolstered their bench around their youth. Westbrook has never been a great shooter, something the Nuggets were in need of after losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic. Their best bench shooter as of now is Julian Strawther, who did not carve out a role last season. Despite his impressive offseason and preseason, his first game was rough. Nikola Jokić had this to say regarding the team and their shooting:
“We are not a good shooting team, except Mike [Porter Jr.] and Jamal [Murray]. All of us are kind of streaky, not streaky, but just average shooters.”
When the best player in franchise history is saying this, it should strike confidence, especially to the young players who want to prove something. Strawther is one player who must show his improvement offensively if their bench is going to improve at that end of the court. He only took six shot attempts and did not make a three. He was second-worst on the team with a -23 net rating only behind Westbrook who was -24. The Nuggets’ bench as a whole shot 1/16 from three, which must improve if the unit is going to compete with other benches.
Even if Strawther proves to be an elite shooter from three, they will need other players to make some, too. Westbrook shot 1/6 from the arc, and Peyton Watson shot 0/4. Last season, he only shot 29.6% from three, but he must improve to take some of the load off the starting lineup.
New Bench Combinations
The Nuggets started their first game with a rotation that staggered Jamal Murray with the bench alongside Westbrook. The two point guards could work, but there could be other rotations that better fit Westbrook’s style of play. Coach Malone said this regarding the combination of Murray and Westbrook:
“I think Russ [Westbrook] and Jamal [Murray] have a lot of potential to be really good together… They’ve looked good in the preseason, in practices and scrimmages. I think the more they play together, the more comfortable they’re going to get playing off of each other. Again, I can help with that as well.”
Helping the bench duo of point guards must be a priority moving forward. The other three players must be able to hit their open shots while remaining solid on the defensive side of the ball.
One player who could be a huge boost to the bench is Michael Porter Jr. If Malone decided to play Murray more with the starters, it would open the door for another starter to stagger with the bench minutes. Porter Jr. would perfectly fit into that role. As the best three-point shooter on the team, he would complement Westbrook’s aggressive play style. It would lead to more open threes for him while adding a positive shooter to a bench unit that shot less than 10% in their first game. Jokić has proved throughout his career that he can help any player improve and play better. Having him play with the bench unit at times could be beneficial to get them in their groove.
It has only been one game so far, but the Nuggets’ bench had glaring concerns that will require change if the problems persist. Having multiple bench players with a plus/minus of -20 or worse is a recipe for disaster.
