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Denver Nuggets: The Rookies’ Shot To Shine

By Kevin C Keller

Feb 22, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Mitch McGary (33) during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Mitch McGary (33) during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Denver Nuggets are starting from scratch, and first the first time in a decade, the team is more focused on developing their youth than “getting over the hump” and taking the next step in the playoffs.

“Rebuilding” as most choose to call it, and with “rebuilding” we can expect to see more losses like Sunday night’s whooping in Oklahoma City, where the Nuggets lost 119-94, and trailed by 25 — yes 25 points — at the half.

It’s a strange feeling. It feels like the Carmelo Anthony years, and making the playoffs for a decade straight, have left a nasty hangover. Once again, Nuggets fans, we’ll have to put up with losing and losing bad for the foreseeable future. And once again, we’ll be watching the draft lottery standings closer than the divison standings (the Nuggets currently sit at seventh).

Something is different about this team, however. There is still reason to believe that the Nuggets have finally bottomed out, and now the team has no where to go than up – and we shouldn’t be too nervous for an extended break from playoff basketball.

Yes, the Oklahoma City game was ugly. The Nuggets looked like a JV team compared to the Thunder on Sunday night. They’re discombobulated, they’re bad on defense, don’t have much in the half court game, and they can’t throw a brick into the ocean — let alone make a three pointer — some nights. They shot 36.1 percent from the floor in the Thunder loss, and 35.7 percent in the Milwaukee loss last Friday.

There was a glitter of hope in Oklahoma City though. At one point late in the game, four rookies were on the floor for the Nuggets at the same time.

Jusuf Nurkic, Erick Green, Gary Harris, and Joffrey Lauvergne (making his NBA debut) were all playing in a real NBA game together and the Nuggets’ potential future was right in front of our eyes, playing in real time. It was the first time the Nuggets had more than two rookies on the court at the same time in what feels like my entire lifetime.

The quartet was joined by third year player Will Barton, who the Nuggets got in exchange for Arron Afflalo and Alonzo Gee just before last week’s trade deadline, and it was refreshing to see the team full of youth already. The team’s transition from “aging” to “youthful” happened overnight, and each of the four players had encouraging moments with their minutes. With Joffrey Lauvergne’s pretty spin and two-handed slam play besting the group, it was the best play of the night for the Nuggets.

Jusuf Nurkic has gotten all the attention as he’s still the Nuggets rookie showing the most promise for the NBA, but the Nuggets and general manager Tim Connelly have effectively filled this team with youth and potential overnight.

Erick Green has impressed so far this season, and his 43.9 shooting percentage is fifth highest for Nuggets who have played more than one game for the team this season.

Gary Harris has shown excellent defensive skills, and his defensive rating (average points the opposing team scores over 100 possesions that Harris is on the floor) of 100.7 is almost five points better than the team’s rating as a whole — 105.1.

Throw in the fact that the Nuggets have a top 10 pick looming after this season, and the case is made that the seeds to future playoff success have officially been planted.

Great teams are built and grow through drafting, development, and continuity (see Spurs, San Antonio). With the Nuggets having four first round draft picks in the next two years, and four rookies who are showing at least some promise in their first NBA minutes a new era of youth has emerged in Denver.

The Nuggets have had to rebuild plenty of times as we all know, but this time the rebuild is going to be built through youth, and that’s not something the Nuggets have had in over a decade.

Sometimes, the bad has to come before the good. The losses, before the wins. The Nuggets are on the bad side of that timeline, but with head coach Brian Shaw ready to play rookies as much as possible, there’s hope that they won’t be for long.

Next: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time

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