Denver Nuggets: Why A Torn Plantar Fascia For Ty Lawson Means No Title

Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson has missed eight of the last 10 games due to injury. Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com

The Denver Nuggets’ Ty Lawson is the unquestioned leader of the team on the court.

When he is on the court, the Nuggets hit a high gear that no other team can really match. He was reaching superstar status with his performance this season, especially after Jan. 1, when the Nuggets really took off.

Lawson got hurt against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 19. At first the team felt it was a bruised heel and he may miss a few games. Lawson sat out for a couple games and then was re-examined and it was determined he had a torn plantar fascia–a much more serious injury than first thought.

Lawson, who played came back to play 19 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, April 12, and scored 13 points, has not played in eight of the last 10 games for the Nuggets. He played 20 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs on March 27, but was ineffective in the loss.

The Nuggets record in those nine games is 7-2, so Denver has not missed a beat. Once the playoffs start the speedy point guard has to be on the court, especially with the injury to Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. Gallinari is the team’s second leading scorer behind Lawson.

If Lawson is not on the court, the Nuggets have no chance of winning a title.

This Nuggets team is different than in year’s past. This team has title dreams. They have the fourth-best record in the NBA and another first-round loss would be devastating. Without Lawson, a loss in the first round is much more possible than before.

Ty Lawson makes the offense go. Andre Miller has filled in for Lawson and there are times that the offense does not look the same. The Nuggets have averaged right around 105 points a game this season. With Lawson on the bench they have averaged 103 a game, but they did score 132 against the Houston Rockets to skew the average.

Heading into the playoffs, your best player and leading scorer has to be on the floor. Lawson’s aggressiveness leads to easy buckets which is the Nuggets bread and butter. If Lawson is tentative on the offensive end he is not even close to the same player.

Lawson’s speed is also a key on the defensive end for the Nuggets. Opposing guards have to cover him on offense and that can tire them out. If the Nuggets were to play the Clippers, Grizzlies or Warriors, their point guards would have a busy night on the defensive end. When Lawson is full speed, not many–if any0ne–can stay in front of him.

Lawson is the most important piece of the puzzle. He has become the glue that holds everything together. Coach George Karl didn’t want to rush Lawson back on the court but minutes in the last couple regular season games could have Lawson as close to 100 percent as possible.