Denver Nuggets: 5 keys to contending in 2018-19

5. Get back to their early-season defense

In the first month and a half of the season, the Nuggets were third in the NBA in defensive rating. Since Dec. 1, they have struggled on that end of the floor with a defensive rating that ranks 20th in the league. Whether that has been due to injuries or opposing teams regressing back to the mean, they have to get things rolling again. Offense is still this team’s bread-and-butter, but defense can earn them the right to host a playoff series, rather than being the visitors.

They are still hovering at 10th in the league on defense, but they won’t be in that spot much longer if they continue. They struggle with slowing down opposing bigs, as was evidenced by a recent game by Marc Gasol in which he put up 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting. Jokic has never been known for his defense, which is why the team paired him with a bruising big in Mason Plumlee. While they prefer smaller lineups, going big isn’t always a bad thing.

In the last decade, just one team, last year’s Warriors at 11th, has gone on to win the NBA title without having a top-10 team in terms of defensive rating. The Nuggets have the pieces to get to that level, especially now that Gary Harris is healthy after missing 18 games earlier in the season. For the Nuggets, they need to refocus on defending the 3-point line more than anything. They went from first over the first two months to 20th over the last two.