Already without Jamal Murray for the start of the season, the Nuggets then lost Michael Porter Jr. and PJ Dozier. If we add the problems posed by the Covid-19, the Denver franchise must bite the bullet day after day and remain far from its best level (17 wins for 16 losses).
However, the day after his postponed match against the Warriors, if we look at the standings, Michael Malone’s troops are in fifth place in the West. There is worse situation.
“I showed the ranking to the players before facing the Clippers”, tells the coach of the Nuggets to The Athletic, in reference to the meeting of December 26. “Simply to remind them that, even if we think we are playing badly at the moment, and it is the case, we are still in a good position. When things go badly, it’s not the worst possible, and when things go well, it’s not the best either: reality is in the middle. I am constantly trying to find a way to encourage my team, to create a positive attitude. And above all to make sure that the group remains united. It is the end of December, we had a lot of problems, and we are fifth. This is why I am proud of this group. “
Some teams might have sunk slowly in the face of such important absentees (Murray and Porter Jr. are holders), but as we have seen in recent years, the Nuggets are tough guys.
“I would be lying if I said the season is easy right now. This is not true. It’s hard, really. But this group is fighting. I couldn’t tell this group that the season is over, that we can let go. It is not our DNA, nor my personality. I am a fighter and the teams take on the personality of their coach, especially after seven seasons together. My players have this same DNA, and we see it with our history. In the bubble, we recovered two deficits of 3-1 in the playoffs. I like it in our group: we love adversity, we even accept it, we take pleasure when it happens to us. “
“How long has it been since an MVP played on December 25?” “
Except that according to Malone, his players have not been recognized enough for their performance in recent seasons. Even the most famous and decorated of all, Nikola Jokic, All-Star and above all the reigning MVP.
“What he’s been doing for three years, overall, is truly incredible. I wish people would give him more credit and respect, he really deserves it. It’s remarkable to have maintained such a level of greatness, night after night. We’ve won more games than anyone except Milwaukee in three seasons. We are the only team from the West to have passed the first round every time for the past three years. But we haven’t played at Christmas this year… How long has it been since an MVP played on December 25? “
How does the coach explain this lack of recognition, for his pivot as for his group?
“I have several ideas in mind. Already, we are the Nuggets. There is nothing sexy about us. Denver is Colorado, it’s a small market, and it’s a franchise that has never won a title. We are not a prestigious team. Next, Jokic is not a sexy player. It’s not every night on SportsCenter or in the Top 10. To appreciate it, you have to be a real basketball fan. Maybe one day Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets and I will get the respect we feel we deserve. In the meantime, we will not dwell on this subject. “
| Tirs | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Tirs | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Fte | Pts |
| Nikola Jokic | 28 | 32.7 | 55.9 | 35.0 | 76.7 | 2.6 | 11.4 | 14.0 | 7.1 | 3.7 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 25.8 |
| Will Barton | 29 | 32.8 | 43.0 | 37.0 | 75.6 | 0.7 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 15.3 |
| Aaron Gordon | 30 | 32.3 | 51.6 | 34.4 | 74.5 | 1.8 | 3.7 | 5.5 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 14.0 |
| Monte Morris | 32 | 30.0 | 47.9 | 38.0 | 78.3 | 0.3 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 12.6 |
| Michael Porter, Jr. | 9 | 29.4 | 35.9 | 20.8 | 55.6 | 1.0 | 5.6 | 6.6 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 9.9 |
| Jeff Green | 33 | 25.1 | 49.3 | 33.3 | 80.5 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 9.6 |
| Bones Hyland | 24 | 16.8 | 37.1 | 32.5 | 90.0 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 8.5 |
| Facundo Campazzo | 32 | 21.1 | 38.5 | 34.5 | 81.6 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 6.4 |
| Zeke Nnaji | 20 | 14.9 | 45.6 | 45.2 | 61.3 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 6.0 |
| Jamychal Green | 29 | 14.4 | 42.1 | 25.4 | 78.6 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 5.4 |
| Austin Rivers | 23 | 19.2 | 39.0 | 33.8 | 58.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 5.4 |
| P.j. Dozier | 18 | 18.9 | 36.4 | 31.2 | 76.9 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 5.4 |
| Of which Reed | 9 | 17.1 | 51.4 | 43.8 | 66.7 | 0.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 5.0 |
| Markus Howard | 16 | 7.2 | 35.5 | 39.1 | 87.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 4.3 |
| Vlatko Cancar | 12 | 10.5 | 54.8 | 66.7 | 75.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 4.1 |
| bol bol | 11 | 4.6 | 43.8 | 0.0 | 33.3 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.4 |
| Petr Cornelie | 11 | 3.0 | 28.6 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 |
