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Denver Nuggets: Melvin Hunt Sparks Offensive Explosion

By Kevin C Keller

Apr 10, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) prepares to shoot the ball qw Dallas Mavericks forward Al-Farouq Aminu (center) and guard Raymond Felton (2) defend in double overtime at Pepsi Center. The Mavericks won 144-143 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) prepares to shoot the ball qw Dallas Mavericks forward Al-Farouq Aminu (center) and guard Raymond Felton (2) defend in double overtime at Pepsi Center. The Mavericks won 144-143 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Denver Nuggets‘ disappointing 2014-15 NBA season has officially come to a close, and while the team didn’t have enough to finish with a winning record under interim head coach Melvin Hunt, that didn’t stop them from going out with a bang.

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The Nuggets’ offense simply exploded during the last few games of the season, and with the scoring, the team actually gave us a reason to watch their games.

The team’s had three of their top five highest scoring games last week — 119 points in a win against the Los Angeles Lakers, 143 points in a heartbreaking one-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in OT, and 122 in their home finale against Sacramento.

The 120-point nights were sure giving me some major flashbacks to 2009, and it’s been fun reminiscing about how good Denver’s offense can be when the run the break. While we never saw offense like this under Brian Shaw‘s rule, Melvin Hunt isn’t really taking credit for the new found scoring.

“I’d love to tell you it was all Melvin Hunt creating shots for those guys,” Hunt told the Denver Post. “It wasn’t.”

Well whatever you were doing, Melvin, the Nuggets need to keep doing it. It’s proven this roster can win a lot more games than what they’ve shown for a majority of this season, even if they’re more than a few pieces away from a championship run.

The Nuggets were utilizing their best players in order to look like a good offensive team again. Danilo Gallinari put up a career-high 47 points in the OT loss to Dallas (boy, his rehab season has really gone well), Kenneth Faried put up 29 in the Lakers win and 30 in the Sacramento win, and Wilson Chandler put up a season-high 32 points in the loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

All three look ready to go off at any moment these days, and it’s an amazing contrast to when the Nuggets were throwing bricks up left and right in February.

Danilo has really flourished under Melvin Hunt — no matter if Hunt wants to take credit. Since Melvin Hunt took over, the Nuggets forward is putting up 19.2 points a game on 45.5 percent shooting from the floor, and a fantastic 41.3 percent from beyond the three-point line.

He’s looking like a player on the brink of an All-Star bid, and we’re all praying he can bring this game to the team at the start of next season.

Apr 12, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Omri Casspi (18) guards Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler (21) in the third quarter at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Kings 122-111. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Omri Casspi (18) guards Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler (21) in the third quarter at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Kings 122-111. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

Faried also appears like a man on a mission. He’s trying to prove he’s worth the fat contract he signed last summer, and Faried shot an impressive 85.7 percent from the floor on his 30-point night. The forward posted 19 points and 17 rebounds in the loss to the Clippers, and that kind of efficiency is exactly what the Nuggets need from the budding star going forward.

Under Melvin Hunt, he’s averaging 16.7 points and 10.0 rebounds a game.

Add in a point guard in Ty Lawson who is still averaging the third-most assists a game in the NBA at 9.6 per game (8.9 a game since Melvin Hunt started), and it’s actually surprising the Nuggets haven’t managed to post a winning record under Melvin Hunt. The Western Conference is just brutal to mediocre teams’ records.

Overall, 10 wins and 13 losses under coach Hunt wasn’t what we all hoped for, but it’s still a lot better than the 20-39 record the team posted under Brian Shaw. The newfound offense has brought some excitement back into the Pepsi Center, and the team’s responded by at least having a winning record at home since Hunt took over (7-4).

It’s a nice consolation considering this season will only be the seventh in franchise history they’ve finished with a losing record at home (18-23). Simply put, the offensive outburst shows the Nuggets are headed in the right direction, and even if Hunt wasn’t creating the shots, he deserves praise.

“Everybody’s playing better,” Ty Lawson told the Denver Post, “and I think our system is the way we should be playing.”

There are now a couple reports that the Nuggets are moving away from Hunt, but it appears the team is going to do a full search including Hunt as a candidate. We’ve all enjoyed the last month of the season with Melvin Hunt, and to really build momentum for next season, it’s time for the Nuggets to reward the guy that got them back to playing good basketball.

Give Melvin Hunt the official title, and let him usher the Nuggets into a more competitive season next year.

Next: NBA Awards Watch: Final MVP Pick For 2014-15

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