Denver Nuggets: Three things to look forward to post All-Star break

Extended elite play on both ends of the court

On the season, the Denver Nuggets rank seventh in offensive rating (ORtg) with a 112.0 and 10th in (DRtg) with a 108.0. Over their last ten, they’ve been similarly excellent on defense (10th in DRtg), and their 116.0 offensive rating lands them at fourth in the league, Offensively, they’ve been efficient from everywhere, and especially from outside the arc.

The Nuggets have shot 40.3 percent from deep during their 7-3 stretch, ranking them at second in the league, meanwhile their 55.9 effective field goal percentage and 59.0 true shooting percentage marks position them at fifth and sixth respectively. Most remarkable is how well they’ve shared the rock. Denver is tied for second in assists with 27.7 per contest and they record an assist on 64.3 percent of their buckets (sixth in the league during this span). Moreover, they scarcely turn the ball over, and their 2.15 assist to turnover ratio is fifth in the NBA.

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When the Nuggets resume play, they’ll hit the road in OKC for the first of their remaining 27 games. In terms of strength of schedule, ESPN has them tied for 13th with a .502 rating, leaving them tied with OKC and behind Utah, both LA teams, Dallas, Houston, and teams in the hunt for the playoffs like Portland and New Orleans. Given the middling difficulty of their schedule, Denver will have ample opportunity to separate themselves from the field and gain ground on the Lakers while also testing themselves against the elite of the NBA.

With their past performances against the league’s best however, Denver has every reason to remain confident. They play OKC three more times (1-0 this season), the Clippers twice (1-0), Utah twice (2-0), Dallas twice (1-1), Toronto twice who they went 2-0 against last season, Milwaukee once (1-0), Miami once (1-0), the new-look Minnesota once (3-0), and Golden State (1-0) with a healthy Stephen Curry twice.

They’ll also see San Antonio twice (2-0), and solid Memphis (2-1) and Portland (3-0) squads one more time each. Most significantly, the Denver Nuggets have one final matchup with the Lakers where they’ll have the opportunity to even the season series, which is key in the event of a potential tiebreaker.

Look for Denver to utilize their easier matchups against the likes of Charlotte, Cleveland, Chicago (twice), Detroit, and Sacramento to involve new acquisitions, reintegrate injured players, and to give some run to electric rookie Michael Porter Jr.

https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1228515561430233091

The question for Porter Jr. has never been whether the talent is there, it’s always been whether that talent can stay healthy to see (and remain on) the floor. Prior to missing the Denver Nuggets’ last six games, Porter Jr. was downright special in his last ten as head coach Mike Malone unleashed him for about 25 minutes per game.

During that span, he posted 14.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game with deadly efficiency, converting on 48.2 percent of his looks from the field, 51.2 percent from distance and 86.4 percent from the line. It’s unclear whether Porter Jr.’s leash will extend to the playoffs, but he’ll certainly have the time to earn some minutes in May with solid play through the season’s conclusion.