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Denver Nuggets: Promising Rookies Need A Strong Head Coach

By Kevin C Keller

Apr 15, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Melvin Hunt pulls back forward Joffrey Lauvergne (77) by his jersey after being called for a technical against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets 133-126. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Melvin Hunt pulls back forward Joffrey Lauvergne (77) by his jersey after being called for a technical against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets 133-126. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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When looking at the coachless Denver Nuggets, who just finished their second consecutive losing season, it’s easy to think the team needs a coach that molds well with the core group of players who play the most minutes and who were around during the last playoff run in 2013: Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler.

Two players from that core, Chandler and Gallinari, are the remnants of the Carmelo Anthony trade. In fact, Chandler and Gallinari are the only holdovers remaining from former general manager Masai Ujiri’s 13-player trade (between all involved teams) that kept the Nuggets afloat for two seasons after losing their superstar.

The other duo, Faried and Lawson, have been Nuggets for their entire NBA careers. Both came to Denver on draft night, but current general manager Tim Connelly wasn’t present in the draft room for those choices either.

So, should we really expect the general manager to hire a coach for a core he didn’t build?

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Yes, Melvin Hunt brought life back into the Nuggets this season after replacing former head coach Brian Shaw on an interim basis, but he did so by getting better performances out of Lawson, Chandler, Gallinari (who had a career high scoring night under Hunt) and Faried (who finally looked like the player we saw in last summer’s FIBA World Cup).

Connelly worked hard this last season to dismantle Ujiri’s work and “lasting impact” on the Nuggets. He managed to dispose of the former GM’s “last big move” when he sent JaVale McGee to the Philadelphia 76ers this season. Plus, he shipped away a key leftover component of the Carmelo Anthony trade when Timofey Mozgov was shipped to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Nuggets roster is now a lot younger, and a lot more Connelly-y. Of the 15 players on the Nuggets’ active roster for the last game of the season, 11 arrived from one of his moves. Interestingly enough, in two of the three trades the Nuggets executed this season, Connelly got rid of Masai’s handpicked bigs. Why? Because he (and Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke) believe in Connelly’s big men.

Feb 9, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) shoots the ball during the second half at Pepsi Center. The Thunder won 124-114. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) shoots the ball during the second half at Pepsi Center. The Thunder won 124-114. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

Connelly’s big men are much younger, much more foreign, and have shown a lot of potential. Rookie center Jusuf Nurkic was ranked No. 6 for Rookie of the Year voting by NBA.com.

Fellow rookie Joffrey Lauvergne didn’t get a full rookie season in Denver because the 6’11” power forward came over from Europe midway through the season, but he still managed to play in 24 games, and per 40 minutes he averaged 13.9 points and 11.5 rebounds on 40.4 percent shooting from the floor.

Under Melvin Hunt, Louvergne’s scoring output increased to 15.6 points per 40 minutes, but Nurkic wasn’t as successful. Nurkic averaged 7.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in 45 games played while Shaw was the head coach this season, but only 6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds under Hunt. Rookie guard Gary Harris showed very little difference statistically when looking at games under each coach.

These are the names, combined with Will Barton, Erick Green, 2014 second round pick Nikola Jokic, and some more youngsters to be named from the upcoming NBA Draft (and yes, Faried is still young enough to be in this category), that will be the primary core for the Denver Nuggets’ next playoff team.

The Nuggets coaching search needs to be focused on finding a development friendly head coach for Connelly’s Nuggets rather than someone who can get the best out of Ujiri’s Nuggets right away next season.

Next: The Biggest X-Factor On Every NBA Playoff Team

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