Denver Nuggets: Three takeaways from the first two scrimmages

3. The Denver Nuggets need to play with more discipline

In terms of taking care of the ball and playing defense without fouling, the combination of unorthodox lineups and the inevitable rust factor have proved costly for the Nuggets in their last two scrimmages. In the 65 games prior to the hiatus, Denver averaged 13.7 turnovers and 20.0 personal fouls per game, marks which landed them at eighth and 11th in the league respectively.

During their first scrimmage against Washington, which was a shortened, 40-minute game, the Denver Nuggets coughed up the rock 25 times and racked up 20 fouls as a team, which at a 48-minute rate equate to 30 turnovers and 24 fouls. Against New Orleans, they committed 24 fouls and turned the ball over 20 times, and while the latter is an improvement, both figures still leave something to be desired.

As one point of solace, they didn’t allow an exorbitant number of free throws in either game, and less than 50 percent of their fouls were shooting fouls both times (7-of-16 versus the Wizards and 12-of-26 versus the Pelicans). Therefore, the increased fouling rate is likely just a byproduct of defensive mismatches from the lack of guards on the floor.

Similarly, the high number of turnovers can be attributed to the lack of bonafide ball-handlers. It’s difficult to maintain a secure handle against talented, smaller defenders, and a high frequency of errant passes is bound to occur when big-men are freshly tasked with creating shots for their teammates.

Both the fouling and turnover dilemmas should resolve themselves once the Nuggets resume their regular rotations, however, they are nonetheless notable concerns with the current lineups that Denver is rolling out.