Denver Post beat writer Bennett Durando opens up the Nuggets Mailbag periodically during the season. You can submit a Nuggets- or NBA-related question here.
Been hearing a lot of talk about the NBA TV ratings being down, and fans not showing interest in the games. It feels like old-school fans such as myself are tired of constant 3s being thrown up. My vote is a lack of talent and players being me-first guys. What’s going on with this?
— Rip, Aurora
It’s a fair and perhaps unanswerable question. But I hope you’ll forgive me for being completely honest with you, Rip. I don’t care. I’m not a ratings guy. I cannot bring myself to worry about viewership even slightly. The 2023 and 2024 NBA Finals had better ratings than the 2021 NBA Finals between Milwaukee and Phoenix. That had zero bearing on the legacy of each series or the entertainment value of the matchups.
I’ve found the NBA product to be pretty excellent this season, and I think most people who watch a lot of games tend to agree. We have a robust middle class of teams that are both compelling and flawed. We have genuine intrigue as to which will win the championship. A synthesis of aging legends, all-time greats in their prime and irresistible rising stars. And, if you’re a Nuggets fan, a heart attack and a buzzer-beater every two nights.
The 3-point volume topic is much more fascinating, but it somehow feels separate to me. Are casual basketball fans really so repulsed by the Celtics that they’re turning off the TV? Seems like that would require enough of an awareness and investment in the sport to know that Boston is attempting 51 per game.
I say let the network executives worry about their ratings. If you get joy from watching basketball (not “you” specifically, Rip; “you” collectively), and you enjoy following the NBA or a specific team, then why does it matter to you whether or not fair-weather fans are latching onto the league’s efforts to market Anthony Edwards?
The Nuggets need to make moves before the NBA trade deadline if they want to make a run at the NBA Finals. But what moves would best serve this team? Do we need to unload some salary for future moves? Thanks.
— Matthew, Highlands Ranch
I’ll keep my answer brief and refer you to this deep dive into Denver’s trade options and limitations. However, your second question does get at one subplot I don’t address in that story, so I tip my cap to you for the follow-up, Matthew.
If the Nuggets hope to break up Michael Porter Jr.’s $35.9 million cap figure into multiple smaller salaries by making a 1-for-2 trade, they’ll have to either waive someone or attach another contract in the trade. A 15-man roster can only have 15 men. Ideally, the second player you give up isn’t an everyday rotation player, because the whole point of that type of trade is to deepen the rotation. You want to turn one playable guy into two, not two into two — especially if Porter is the best player in the trade.
On the flip side of it, if the Nuggets end up trading Porter for Zach LaVine (or any other star with a salary in the $40 million range), one pleasant side-effect is that it would need to be a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 or 4-for-2 type of deal, opening up a roster spot. Opening up flexibility.
Denver could leave the roster spot vacant to save a bit of cash, or it could pursue another cheap bench player on the buyout market. Frontcourt depth or perimeter defense would be priorities in that scenario.
Russell Westbrook has been a fun watch in Denver and it seems like the Joker enjoys having him around. Can you touch on the impact he has had on this team?
— Big Al, Denver
Westbrook’s intangibles were the obvious reason to sign him. He’s idolized by younger generations of athletes. Seven of Denver’s 15 roster spots are currently occupied by players who are 25 or younger. That made him an ideal culture fit automatically. Westbrook starts each game on the bench, surrounded by guys who watched him on TV while they were growing up. Ask any of them, and they’ll tell you they observe his workout habits and listen to his advice with rapt attention.
The unpredictable part was always going to be the on-court dynamic. But that’s been a success, too. In the last 19 games, Westbrook is averaging 12.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.5 steals on 47% shooting (36.6% from three). Most importantly, as you pointed out, Big Al, the Rocky Mountain Russ Renaissance has a lot to do with the connection he has developed with Jokic despite their perceived stylistic differences.
Optimizing Westbrook at a post-prime phase of his career is a matter of harnessing strengths that don’t ever disappear. He is erratic. Jokic is meticulous. But they share a preternatural talent for passing a basketball. Westbrook is perceptive enough to recognize opportunity when he’s playing next to a Hall-of-Fame scorer, and he thrills at threading the needle. Jokic caught on to that quickly. He has the reflexes to indulge a daredevil’s stunts. It makes for undeniable highlight fodder.
“When Russ is out there with Nikola, you can see he’s just always looking for him,” Michael Malone said earlier this month. “He’s always trying to find him. And that makes complete sense to me. Playing with the best player in the world, you might want to give him the ball.”
Jokic scored 151 field goals on assists from Jamal Murray last season. That’s currently the single-season record for the most Jokic buckets any teammate has assisted in his career. Through 25 games, Westbrook has amassed 60 assists to the Serbian center — the fourth-most of any duo in the league as of Friday.
Jokic and Westbrook have shared the floor for only 371 minutes. Each of the top three duos has played at least 575 minutes together.
“I just look at him, and he looks at me,” Jokic said last week in Atlanta, “and I think we just communicate by the eyes.”
The Nuggets seem pretty banged up right now with injuries. Is this the kind of team that can still make a deep playoff run?
— Tony, Denver
Good news about those injuries: The Nuggets have had their full starting lineup available for only 10 of the first 25 games.
Bad news: The Nuggets are 4-6 in those 10 games.
Here’s the thing. Hidden inside this frustrating, capricious, occasionally lazy start to the season is a significant sample size showing how good the Nuggets can be.
They have the second-best net rating in the NBA and the fifth-best defensive rating … in the second half of games.
The second-quarter Nuggets are a lottery team with a decent chance to land Cooper Flagg. They rank 27th in the league with a minus-9.4 net rating in that frame. Yes, the bench unit is the primary culprit. But the bad vibes are bleeding into the MVP’s minutes, too. In the last five games, Denver has a minus-11.7 net when Jokic is on the floor in the second quarter. The starting lineup, which is otherwise excellent, suddenly lacks harmony for six-minute stretches. The same problems repeat themselves. Defensive rebounding. Getting back on defense, especially after turnovers. Keeping ball-handlers in front.
Then halftime happens. In Jokic’s minutes after the intermission this season, the team’s net rating is 15.0. That’s beyond championship-caliber.
How do you interpret such a dramatic discrepancy? I think it’s a collective effort issue. The Nuggets are procrastinators. To put it in sportswriters’ terms — definitely not applicable to me, though — if you don’t start writing your game story until the third quarter, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to miss your deadline at the final buzzer.
Bennett, I need last-minute gift ideas for family members. Any cool merch at Altitude Authentics I should look for? Thanks for your coverage over the holidays.
— Amy, Littleton
If they’re on the naughty list, buy them a white “5280” City Edition jersey.
If they’re on the nice list, you can’t go wrong with a vintage rainbow skyline jersey. Blue with the yellow trim. Easily the most joyous aesthetic in Nuggets history, and it honors the era of late legend Dikembe Mutombo.
Happy holidays and thanks as always for reading, subscribing and asking great questions, everyone.