Coach George Karl wouldn’t choose to start the season 1-3, as the Nuggets have after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers by 20 points Sunday. But in looking around the league, the coach sees company for his misery.
Playoff teams Miami and Sacramento have lost games they didn’t expect to. Even the champion San Antonio Spurs have lost once already and needed overtime against a shaky Chicago team Monday to avoid starting 2-2.
“Right now the best basketball isn’t that much better than the worst basketball,” Karl said Monday night.
The Nuggets certainly have not been at their best. Denver has averaged 17.8 turnovers in its first four games, and its .174 percentage from 3-point range was the worst over the NBA’s first week.
“A lot of our 3-point players are role players,” coach George Karl said. “They’ve got to have a confidence. Right now I don’t think they’re consistent. There’s a lot of inconsistent to us. We’re good and we’re bad. Defensively it’s actually very good, and then we look like a high school team sometimes. I don’t know if that’s mental focus or how we’re playing rotations or whatever. There’s a lot of good there.”
Outside shooting was a weakness for Denver last year, but the team hoped the return of Voshon Lenard from an injury would make a difference. But so far the veteran guard has been rusty, shooting 3-for-16 from 3-point range. Earl Boykins has started 1-for-9.
Karl has noticed defenses packing in the middle against Denver, as they did at times last year, daring the Nuggets to shoot from long range. That makes it harder for Carmelo Anthony and Co. to drive to the basket.
“We’ve got to open up the middle better for Melo’s touches,” Karl said. “Offensively we’re just holding onto the ball. It’s about the game dictating shots. They want to dictate shots.”
The Nuggets expect to receive a $1.5 million salary exception from the NBA because of the likely season-ending injury to forward Nene. (The decision could come around the time of Nene’s surgery on Nov. 16.) But while general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said he would consider anything, he did not sound interested in using that slot to import a shooter, saying Lenard and DerMarr Johnson can do the job.
“This certainly is not a time to panic about our outside shooting,” Vandeweghe said. “The guys we have on our team, certainly Voshon’s a good outside shooter. I don’t think you’re going to find a better outside shooter available.”
Shooting hasn’t been Denver’s only problem. Forward Kenyon Martin continues to feel the effects of his offseason knee surgery, something not helped by an opening stretch of four games in six nights.
“I’m fighting through it as much as possible,” Martin said.
Also, Karl suggested several Nuggets are not up to full speed yet, though he said this is not unusual around the league early in a season.
He also said he must learn how to use the bench now that Nene is gone. Whereas the Brazilian may have handled a defensive assignment solo, more double-teams could be in the Nuggets’ future. Karl would like to see his team rebound better, too.
Fortunately for the Nuggets, they have plenty of time.
“It’s easy to turn everything back around, to be where we’re supposed to be,” Anthony said. “That’s the easy part.”
Adam Thompson can be reached at 303-820-5447 or athompson@denverpost.com.
