The Denver Nuggets are playing some of the best basketball in the league on the defensive end. Will it hold up when the playoffs start though?
The Denver Nuggets started the year with one of the NBA’s best defenses. They slumped hard for a couple of months, but over the last 15 games, they are playing some of the league’s best basketball on that end. They find themselves fifth over that stretch in defensive rating, and that has helped push them back into the top 10 for the entire season.
While this surge is great to see for the team’s push towards the playoffs, are they going to maintain it once they get there?
On the season, they are one of the best teams in the league in several defensive categories. They rank in the top 10 in points allowed off turnovers, fast break points and second chance points. One thing that helps those first two categories is the team’s ability to take care of the ball. They are sixth in turnovers per game. NBA defenses will get better in the playoffs, but they know how to take care of the ball to support their defense.
As things stand right now, six out of the top 10 teams in offensive rating are from the Western Conference. Five of those teams would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, and one of those teams is Denver. When the Nuggets make the playoffs, they are going to have to slow down one of the league’s best offenses in every round. Getting Gary Harris back from injury is a major part of that, especially with how he has played lately.
One of the major keys for them is to slow down defenders on the perimeter. This team doesn’t have any player that profiles as an elite rim protector like Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz or Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers. When players get into the paint around the basket, they typically have a decent amount of success, as the Nuggets rank 14th in the NBA in defended field goal percentage from less than six feet.
Harris is the team’s best two-way player, but he has struggled to play at his typical levels this season due to injuries. It’s likely that he’ll be put on the team’s best offensive guard when the playoffs begin, but he’ll need to work on cutting off players getting past him towards the basket. They don’t have a rim protector to help him or the other perimeter players out if they get beaten off the dribble.
It will also be interesting to see who head coach Mike Malone decides to play as the team’s stretch-big option. Trey Lyles and Torrey Craig have both played an extended amount of minutes at that spot this season, but when the playoffs start, he’ll likely remove one of the two from the rotation to get more shooting on the floor. Whoever he plays in that spot will be the one that’s in charge of defending opposing wings, such as the Golden State Warriors‘ Kevin Durant.
Defense takes somewhat of a backseat during the regular season, but it regains a renewed importance when the playoffs start. It’s rare for a team to win the championship without having a great team on both ends of the floor. The Nuggets are going to continue to have an elite offense, but it’s going to be all about their defense when the playoffs start. If they can keep their D playing at its current level, they’ll be a much tougher out when their shots aren’t falling.