Taking the pulse of the Nuggets throughout the season
With the first 10% of the season in the books, the Nuggets are off to a surprisingly decent 4-4 start. Here are a few things to notice from the first 8 games:
(1) Growth. The Nuggets have six rookies or second-year players in the rotation, including the youngest player to start in an NBA game this season, Emmanuel Mudiay. Mudiay had a rough first game of the season with 11 turnovers, but he’s gotten more comfortable and made adjustments, and had only 1 turnover to go with 11 assists in the last game. Gary Harris had a forgettable rookie year, shooting barely 30% from the field, but in 8 games this season he’s shooting a solid 47% on both two and three pointers while still playing excellent defense.
(2) Health. Yet again, the Nuggets have lost a player to a season-ending injury — this time, Wilson Chandler. Jusuf Nurkic is slated to return to action after offseason knee surgery, and Joffrey Lauvergne and Jameer Nelson have each missed a few games due to back injuries. On the positive side, Danilo Gallinari seems to be fully recovered after a series of injuries that led him to miss over a hundred games in the last two seasons.
(3) Energy. Over the past two seasons, the Nuggets have often looked passive or disinterested. Led by a renewed Kenneth Faried and “The People’s Champ” Will Barton, this year’s squad has more often than not looked like the more hungry and aggressive team. Coach Michael Malone’s in-game management of timeouts and substitutions has kept the team fresh and helped them respond well to momentum swings.
Current record and standings: 4-4 (2-2 home, 2-2 road), tied with two other teams for 2nd in the Northwest division, and five other teams for 5th in the Western conference.
Upcoming games: tonight vs Houston, Saturday at Phoenix, Tuesday at New Orleans, Wednesday at San Antonio
