Denver Nuggets: 3 goals for Paul Millsap in 2018-19
1. Lead the Nuggets to a top-10 finish in defense
The one factor holding the Nuggets back for long stretches of the franchises history has been the lack of defense. Whether it was in the George Karl days or even under current coach Malone, the Nuggets have struggled mightily to subdue the offense of their opponents.
Sitting 26th overall out of 30 teams last year in defensive rating (108.8), the Nuggets’ inability to contain opponents stood as one of the main reasons the team missed the playoffs in favor of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With a defensive rating of 103 for his career, including two top-10 finishes in the category and a Second Team All-Defensive selection, Millsap stands to be a large upgrade for the Nuggets.
Last season, both Wilson Chandler and Trey Lyles were relegated to the forward position for the Nuggets, with each posting a defensive rating over 110 — nearly seven points higher than Millsap’s career average.
With a lineup of Murray, Harris, Chandler, Millsap and Jokic, the Nuggets posted a defensive rating of 105.1 in 345 minutes last season, their most used lineup of the year. That rating, while significantly lower than their season total, also would have shifted the Nuggets to 12th in the league, just outside the top 10.
A small improvement with more minutes of that lineup, sans Chandler, should do wonders for the team’s defensive efficiency in the upcoming year.
The Houston Rockets figure to drop out of the top-10 with the loss of Trevor Ariza and another year on the legs of Chris Paul, leaving a spot for the Nuggets to inhabit if Millsap can hit the ground running for the Nuggets.
A jump into the upper-echelon of defensive teams figures to bode well for the Denver Nuggets in the pursuit of their first playoff appearance since the 2012-13 season.