Energy:
The energy we saw against the Rockets has yet to repeat itself this season, and it’s evident in both the fastbreak and the half court.
Through five games, the Nuggets are currently 20th in the NBA with 11 fastbreak points a game, down from the 15 they averaged last season (7th in the NBA). And as any knowledgable basketball fan knows, when you’re in Denver, you need to run. Not just because that’s what the Nuggets do best, but because at 5,280 feet, that’s what opponents do worst.
You can say that it’s a product of Michael Malone’s half-court offense, but even when the Nuggets do have the opportunity to push the ball on the break, they just look lackadaisical. It shows itself in the half court, too. The ball isn’t zipping around the court, guys are just standing around at the three-point line, nobody can set a solid screen and the game always ends up devolving into a one-on-one pickup game.
There’s no fire. There’s no excitement.
We know it’s possible, but the second things start to go awry, it’s almost as if the spirit of the 2014-15 team takes over and the Nuggets shell up.
Is this fixable? You’d hope so. But it starts with the coach, and right now, Malone needs to break a lot of bad habits.
