Denver Nuggets still unsure which direction they’re headed this season

The Denver Nuggets push towards contention has stalled in an awkward stage. As it stands, the Nuggets are 15-23 on the year, remaining in striking distance of the 8th seed in the Western Conference standings, but have also been thrown around in the conversation for worst team in the conference.

The lack of direction was tolerable for the early stages of the season, but the reality of the matter is, the team is already neck deep into this season, and have yet to identify what direction they are chugging towards.

They’ve shown in spurts the potential they have, giving hope to the players, coaches and fans that they can get begin to win consistently; however, for a majority of the season, the bad has outweighed the good. Sluggish starts, embarrassing defense and poor game management have been the name of the game for the Nuggets this season, forcing the optimism that was built up prior to the season’s start to dwindle away.

Now, with just a handful of days separating the Nuggets and the NBA’s trade deadline, an identity needs to be established. The questions surrounding the identity of this team were able to be blown under the carpet for some time because the team was no where near contention; however, with the playoffs set as a realistic expectation for this team in the near future it’s time for the Nuggets to plant their foot in one direction and roll with it.

It comes down to weighing the value of going all-in for a playoff spot, or having another year to stockpile assets and attempt to get better through the draft and player progression.

Both have their pros and cons.

Making the playoffs would be great for the Nuggets. They would get some national attention and their young players would get playoff experience, something that could prove to be critical a few year’s down the line when the team could potentially be a player in the West.

With that said, if they indeed are the 8th seed in the playoffs, they will most likely go up against the Golden State Warriors. I think it is safe to say the odds of them winning that series are slim to none, again reverting back to the question: is it even worth making the playoffs this season?

As it stands, the Nuggets are not a playoff team. What they are is a young, learning team that happens to be in the hunt due to a slew of poor teams that round out the Western Conference.