Nikola Jokić – A+
After dropping the season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Nikola Jokić admitted that the Denver Nuggets are not a good shooting team. Then, their next time out, the Nuggets shot 40% from three against the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s not that the team locked in. It’s that Jokić did it himself.
The offense was disastrous for the first quarter and a half. While trailing in the second, Jokić saw one fall. And then he got hot from deep for the first time in a long time. Jokić shot 4/5 from three-point range in the second half alone. He tied a career-high with seven made 3s and finished with 41 points on the night. It was almost enough to complete a big comeback and potentially alleviate some concerns in Denver. Instead, Norman Powell and James Harden had the last say in crunch time. Jokić missed a free throw late and his final three as he sought to draw a foul at the end of regulation.
After the game, Jokić was asked about his patience through a tough stretch. He sat on the question for a second before delivering this answer:
Jamal Murray – B-
Murray took a step in the right direction with 22 points and 5 assists while shooting 50% from the floor and from deep. There was a lot to like about his performance, but some disappointing play in the final minutes marred it. Norman Powell, who went thermonuclear in the second half, drained the most significant three of the night over Murray to tie the game. Then Murray forced a contested left-handed layup through traffic on the other end. The attempt to take pressure off Jokić can be appreciated. But it’s a brutal outcome when the best player in the world is that hot.
Michael Porter Jr. – F
We can say that Porter battled in this one. He did, both defensively and on the glass. But he did not play well. His job is to score efficiently, stretch the defense, and help the starters dominate. They won their minutes in the loss but could have dominated if he had been average offensively. Porter can’t go 4/13 from the field and 0/6 from deep. Worst of all, Porter began passing out of open threes. He’ll likely stabilize, but this is a bizarre and disappointing start after a strong preseason.
Michael Malone changed the rotation in the loss. Porter was the first of the starters to sit, with Julian Strawther taking his place. Porter eventually slid back in at the four alongside the bench. Murray eventually returned as reinforcement. The spacing was better. That group did get better looks, but no one could hit anything.
Aaron Gordon – D
We’re just not feeling Gordon’s presence as we’re used to. Braun is taking on challenging assignments, Porter is pulling down more rebounds, and Gordon is floating out there. Almost unsure of when to press the buttons that have made him so valuable alongside Jokić. Like Porter, the Nuggets need Gordon to snap out of it.
Christian Braun – A-
Christian Braun is doing his job. He’s attacking the rim, Denver’s best perimeter defender, and even knocked down a three in the loss. Denver’s got a lot to solve right now. So far, however, the Braun minutes have not been the problem.
Russell Westbrook – F
Westbrook is playing hard defensively. You can tell he wants this, but willpower has little to do with the inefficiency problem. In the loss, Westbrook shot 0/8 from the floor and 0/3 from deep. He’s off to a wretched start through two games.
Julian Strawther – C
Strawther brought a little juice off the bench by knocking down a couple of threes and trying to penetrate off the dribble. But teams are having an easy time either scoring or drawing a foul against the youngster right now. Strawther picked up 5 personals, and the bench got rocked.
Dario Saric – F
Saric looks too small for true bigs and too slow for everyone else. He’s struggling mightily as the second unit looks like a mess. This dynamic might change if they start playing through him more. As it stands, Denver still has a big backup problem.
Peyton Watson – F
The critical context to remember is that Watson missed all of training camp, not just the preseason games but the camp itself. He looks rusty from a skill standpoint and is limited athletically. That was blatant when he smoked a fast break layup that surely would have been a dunk a year ago.