NFL
By Keith Richards
With 58 games played, and the All-Star game upcoming, the Denver Nuggets are over the halfway mark for the 2022-23 NBA season. Halfway through the season, the Nuggets are 40-18, which is good for first place in the Western Conference with a five-game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies. Overall, Denver has the third-best record in the entire league and is only one game behind the league leading Boston Celtics.
Now that we’re halfway through the season, I’m going to grade the Nuggets on three key areas: Offense, Defense, and the Trade Deadline. Finally, I’ll take a look at the second half of the season and forecast how the season will end for this Denver team. So, let’s get it!
Offense – Grade A-
Halfway through the season, the Nuggets lead the NBA with a 117.6 offensive rating. As a team, they are also league-best in effective field goal and true shooting percentage at 58.1 and 60.9% respectively. In short, the team shoots the ball very well. While Denver is only 14th in the NBA in three-pointers made per game, they only attempt 30.8 per game, which is 26th in the association.
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What matters more is that the Nuggets lead the league in three-point field goal percentage at 39.3%. So while Denver doesn’t take many threes, they make them at a high rate, which the eFG and TS would indicate. Another key factor in the team’s offensive success halfway through the season is how well they move the ball.
Just past the halfway point, Denver is second in the NBA with 29 assists per game. Leading the charge is potential MVP Nikola Jokic with 10.1 assists per game, which is good for a tie for third in the league halfway through the season. It’s not just about the assists either. While the Nuggets move the ball well, they don’t turn it over too often either. With 14.3 turnovers per game, Denver is third in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.94.
The offense has been outstanding. The Denver Nuggets are among the league’s best in several categories. The defense? Well, the defense could be better.
Defense – Grade C+
While the defense is not terrible, halfway through the season it could be better. The Nuggets are currently 13th in the league with a defensive rating of 113.2. That’s 4.2 off of the pace of the Cavaliers, who lead the league with a defensive rating of 109. Let’s dig into the raw numbers are little more.
Halfway through the season, Denver is also 13th in the NBA in points allowed per game with 112.8. Conversely, the Nuggets score 117.1 points per game. While that does give them a +4.3 differential, there is not much room for error there. What contributes to that high number of points allowed per game is the field goal percentage allowed.
Right now, Denver is 22nd in the league in field goal percentage allowed with 48%. They fare better in the three-point field goal percentage allowed at 34.9%, which is good for seventh in the league. Another thing the Nuggets do well is they don’t allow many rebounds. They are first in the NBA in both defensive rebounds allowed and total rebounds allowed; 30.4 and 40.2 respectively.
In other defensive stats, Denver is just the middle of the road. If their ambitions are to win the championship, it would be more likely if they could crack the top ten in several other categories.
The Trade Deadline – A-
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In the whirlwind that was the trade deadline, the Denver Nuggets made three big moves. The first, and arguably most significant, is that the Nuggets traded Bones Hyland to the LA Clippers for two second-round picks. Rumors had been swirling for several weeks that Hyland had become unhappy with this role on the team. Instead of dealing with an unhappy player, Denver dealt him away.
The Nuggets may have, though, upgraded when they signed Reggie Jackson in the absence of Bones. After being traded by the Clippers to the Hornets, Reggie was waived and signed by the Nuggets on Tuesday. This is significant in two ways. First, Reggie Jackson’s services will be needed immediately as Murray has been sidelined with knee inflammation. Second, Jackson was one of the most coveted guards on the waiver/buyout market. His 12.9 PPG and 4.2 APG will bolster an already stellar Denver offense.
Finally, Denver traded Davon Reed and three second-round picks to the Lakers for Thomas Bryant. It’s another move that adds depth to the Nuggets. While covering for Anthony Davis this season, Bryant has averaged 12.1 PPG and 6.8 RPG while shooting 65.4% from the floor. Thomas will prove valuable minutes that Jokic doesn’t have to be on the floor. While he’s not Jokic, he provides another dimension of danger for the opposition, like his ability to shoot 44% from three this season.
Second Half Forecast
Before the season began, I predicted that the Nuggets would go 56-26 and be a top-three seed in the Western Conference. I’m keeping that as is. As long as their health remains relatively good, it will be tough to knock Denver from that first-seed spot.
I will expand that forecast and say the Nuggets will represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. While other teams have added big names, the Nuggets still have the better (as my pal Greg Rector would say) TEAM.
We’ll check in again with the Nuggets soon after the All-Star Break. Until then, don’t forget your new gear for the new additions!
