As the Denver Nuggets look to make the playoffs in the upcoming NBA season, their young and dynamic backcourt will have to make strides in key areas.
With the Denver Nuggets entering the upcoming NBA season with expectations of making the playoffs, the team will need its star players to age and develop at an increased rate.
It’s easy for people to say that it’s time to stop using the excuse of youth and inexperience when it comes to Denver missing out on the postseason the past year or two, and in a way, they’re right, as Denver has one of the most talented cores in the league.
Yet a quick look into that core leads to the realization that their big three of Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray are all 23 years old or younger, with Murray entering just his third season in the league.
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Inexperience and mistakes at the end of close games are to be expected from players at this age and development stage, especially when playoff implications are thrown into the mix.
By re-signing Jokic and key starter Will Barton in the offseason while also adding a veteran like Isaiah Thomas, Denver is serious about their playoff aspirations, as head coach Mike Malone’s job almost certainly depends on the team playing in mid-to-late April.
As a result, Malone will be looking at his dynamic young backcourt to take another step in their development and form a real big three alongside Jokic that the league fears on a nightly basis.
Both young guards made tremendous strides in their growth last season, posting career-high numbers in nearly every statistical category.
Harris continued his steady, under-the-radar development, posting 17.5 points, 2.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game while hitting 39.6 percent of his 3-pointers.
On the other hand, Murray took a large step, averaging 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, hitting 37.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
Both of the young guards share common skills and abilities, most notably their ability to hit the long ball and be capable ball-handlers in the offense (they both have shown a willingness and keen awareness to cut to the rim when playing off-ball alongside Jokic- a key area of the team’s offense).
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As a result of their similar offensive abilities and the structure of the team’s offense, it’s no surprise to see the young guards post similar stat lines, highlighted by impressive scoring and shooting numbers with relatively low assist numbers as a result of Jokic’s playmaking and the team’s ball movement.
Both Murray and Harris are perfect offensive fits around Jokic, as their shooting, cutting and ball-handling/creation abilities allow them to serve as secondary and tertiary options both on and off the ball.
It is there fit in the team’s offense, and their willingness to buy in to the team’s ball movement and use of Jokic as the offensive centerpiece that will allow Denver to post a top five offense for the foreseeable future.
Murray has shown the ability to score in a variety of ways from all areas of the court. Not only did he hit nearly 38 percent of his 3-pointers, but he also made 62.1 percent of his shots from within 3 feet of the rim and 48 percent of his mid-range jumpers (between 10-16 feet of the rim).
Murray displayed his versatile scoring ability numerous times last season, highlighted by a breakout performance against the Portland Trail Blazers:
The same can also be said for Harris, who posted even more impressive shooting numbers than his backcourt teammate.
Second on the team in scoring last season, Harris shot a staggering 71.8 percent from within three feet of the rim and 46.6 percent on mid-range jumpers to go along with his near-40 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
He too can put points on the board in a variety of ways, making the two a very explosive backcourt.
The numbers tell the story for this backcourt on the offensive end. The two young guards put up impressive numbers and made legitimate impacts on the team’s offense.
Per Cleaning the Glass, the Nuggets’ offense was 3.6 points per 100 possessions better with Harris on the floor, and an eye-opening +10.8 points per 100 possessions better when Murray was on the floor.
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Additionally, the team posted a 114.9 offensive rating when all three of Murray, Harris and Jokic shared the floor together, a number that would have easily ranked best in the league over the course of an entire season.
However, as everyone knows by now, the issues for this young backcourt (and the team overall) are on the defensive end.
While that trio posted an extremely high offensive rating when on the floor, they also posted a 108.9 defensive rating, which would have ranked 27th in the league last season (the Nuggets as a team ranked 26th on that end of the floor).
While both have struggled during their young careers, Harris is clearly farther along than Murray in becoming a quality defender. Last season, Harris posted a +0.14 defensive real plus-minus, and the team’s defense was 3.1 points per 100 possessions better when he was on the floor.
Compare that to Murray, who posted a -2.33 defensive real plus-minus and saw the team’s defense decline by 1.6 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor.
Murray’s inconsistent effort and defensive awareness has been his downfall, while Harris has used impressive physical tools and defensive instincts to be a capable wing defender on occasion.
Regardless, the two young guards still have a ways to go if they want to be passable on that end of the floor on a nightly basis, and coupling that with other poor and/or inconsistent defenders around them (Barton, Jokic, Thomas, Trey Lyles, etc.) spells disaster for Denver on that end of the floor.
As fans eagerly anticipate the upcoming Nuggets season due to the team’s high powered offense and young core, it will be interesting to see how the two young guards take the next steps in their development on both ends of the floor.
Can they build upon their sweet shooting and add additional playmaking responsibilities? Will Harris become a consistent, quality defender? How will Isaiah Thomas’ presence impact Murray’s role and minutes, especially during crunch time in games with playoff implications?
All of these questions will be answered throughout the season, but make no mistake about it: the Nuggets’ young backcourt is dynamic and explosive, and they are ready to make their mark on the league this season.