Coach Karl’s Corner: The Nuggets have seemingly righted the ship
Jan 28, 2021, 11:51 AM | Updated: 12:02 pm
After last night’s win in Miami, the Nuggets have won five-straight games, including four on the road. That’s an impressive performance during a stretch that was pivotal to the direction of the season. Here are some thoughts about where Denver currently stands:
***
The puzzle of a team is different every season. This year’s puzzle has been complicated due to the pandemic and the huge differences that has created for teams, including a shortened preseason and the absence of a home court advantage without fans.
The Nuggets are off to their best road start ever at 7-2, but that’s not totally surprising given the absence of fans in visiting arenas. Away teams typically must play meaningfully better than the home team to win an away game. That’s not necessarily true this year and will be an interesting element to continue watching as the season progresses.
***
Nikola Jokic’s exceptional play gave the Nuggets an opportunity, through these first 20 games, to understand the dynamics of the season and their new team. And Michael Malone has done a good job building team confidence, especially on the defensive side of the ball. That improved confidence has been evident on this five game road trip, where the Nuggets are currently 4-0.
***
Michael Porter Jr’s return to the team this month has clearly provided a shot of energy and improved performance. The team hasn’t lost since his return.
MPJ is also enhancing a strong bench and my feeling is he should stay there for now – never make changes to something that’s working. He also needs to continue to demonstrate to Coach Malone that he’s worthy of starting and playing “top five” minutes for the team.
***
The Nuggets have stabilized things after a rough start to the season. They are now in the hunt in the Western Conference. But, they aren’t out of the woods and will need to stay focused and keep improving. An injury at potentially the wrong time and the absence of the home-court advantage will continue to affect the puzzle of this unique NBA season.
Coach Karl can be heard exclusively each week on Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan as the station’s Denver Nuggets analyst. You can also download his podcast, “Truth + Basketball,” anywhere you get your media.
