Denver Nuggets: 3 reasons for concern in 2019 NBA Playoffs

3. Youth

A team’s youth can be a benefit if you need more energy later in a series, but it’s not a benefit late in close games. Among players in the team’s rotation, only Will Barton, Trey Lyles and Paul Millsap have playoff experience. However, Lyles and Barton have combined for just 91 playoff minutes in their careers. Teams like the Golden State Warriors are going to start four players who played more playoff minutes than that last season alone.

There have been a number of teams that are viewed as regular season teams that can’t translate to the postseason. One of the best examples of this is the Portland Trail Blazers, who consistently finish in the top half of the conference, but haven’t been able to make anything happen in the playoffs. The Nuggets’ youth could be a contributing factor to those struggles. If they don’t take the games as seriously as a veteran group, they could let a game or two slip away.

When looking at the teams that were at the top of the NBA in last year’s playoffs, the majority of them were teams led by veteran groups rather than their stars being young guys. Nikola Jokic is extremely mature for his age, but can you say that about the rest of the team’s core young guys? Will they crumble under those bright lights when other veteran groups shine brightest?