NBA Halloween: Playing trick-or-treat with 2017-18 early season trends

Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images /
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Denver Nuggets

Denver’s high-powered offense needs help: Trick

After Nikola Jokic was inserted into the starting lineup last year, the Denver Nuggets were the NBA’s top-ranked offense, posting 113.3 points per 100 possessions. That high-powered unit hasn’t carried over into 2017-18, with the Nuggets posting an offensive rating of just 103.7 — ranked 16th in the league.

Whether the problem has been adjusting to Paul Millsap in the starting five, Nikola Jokic getting off to a slow start or Jamal Murray getting used to life as a full-time starter with no Jameer Nelson to provide stability, Denver’s offense looks completely out of sorts early on.

Would an Eric Bledsoe trade help? Probably, but the Nuggets’ early struggles aren’t anything to be overly concerned with. Every loss hurts their playoff chase, but there’s too much talent and shooting here for this to continue. This young team will figure out how to incorporate Millsap and get everyone clicking again soon enough.