The Nuggets are playing within the lines this season. But they’re winning outside them. While Kenneth Faried sets perimeter picks and Timofey Mozgov hip-checks post-ups on the block, Denver coach Brian Shaw is thriving by sending fewer players to the scorer’s table.
In his second season of transitioning the Nuggets from the high-flying, free-wheeling track team they were when they were coached by George Karl to a team resembling something closer to an Eastern Conference grinder, Shaw is learning that less is more.
The Nuggets, nearly capsized after a 1-6 start, have turned their season around by using a tighter rotation.
A concentrated rotation and fewer minutes for their big men has helped nudge the Nuggets back to .500 at 8-8 heading into Monday’s game at Utah.
Shaw said he tightened his rotation simply because his starters have been playing better.
“Early on, our bench was carrying us for the most part. Our starters were struggling,” Shaw said. “So I was happy to plug guys in earlier on to try to get some energy in the game. But our starters as of late are playing a lot better, so I’ve been leaving them on the floor for most of the first quarter. And letting them get a rhythm that way. I’ve tightened the rotation up, trying to stay with 10 guys.”
The Nuggets have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA. But teams that are 13 players deep don’t win NBA titles.
Even Karl — who once with his centers, rotating three bigs at six-minute clips — can see the benefit of Shaw’s tighter lineup. When the Nuggets were struggling early in the season, twice giving up 130 or more points, .
“One thing I think Brian is kind of caught up in a little bit is he’s playing too many players,” Karl said.
without outside prompting.
“I’ve been doing it game by game, going on the feel,” Shaw said. “If a guy is going well, just letting him stay out a little longer. What I tried to do before is say, ‘OK, this guy is going to play this many minutes, then I’ll sub somebody in.’ But I don’t really like doing that.”
Denver’s starting lineup — Faried, Mozgov, Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo and Wilson Chandler — is getting more playing time week by week.
In their victories, Shaw is giving at least 12 minutes to an eight-player rotation. In their losses, he used, on average, 10 players with at least 12 minutes.
“I have noticed I’m typically out there with the same set of guys, getting subbed out with the same guys,” Afflalo said. “Any type of chemistry that is working for us together as a group — but mainly the five guys who are on the floor — is always important.”
The Nuggets’ shorter bench in recent games also connects to Shaw using fewer centers. When the Nuggets went 1-6, Mozgov played more than 30 minutes just once. Since, he has topped 30 minutes five times. JaVale McGee, still slowed by a leg injury, and rookie Jusuf Nurkic are sitting more.
In the past, the Nuggets wanted a fresh set of legs on the court as often as possible. It helped them run the sneakers off visiting teams huffing air a mile high. Now, though, in shortening their rotation, the Nuggets have more harmony. There is more efficiency.
“The cohesion on the offensive end — we now have defined roles of who’s going to score, where we’re going to be, bigs on the baseline, that’s where they get their points,” Lawson said. “We know where shots are coming from, so people can go rebound and hustle.”
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nickgroke
Like clockwork
The Nuggets have fared better this season when coach Brian Shaw shortens his playing rotation. In their wins, Shaw is giving at least 12 minutes to an eight-player rotation. In their losses, the Nuggets use, on average, 10 players who get at least 12 minutes. The breakdown:
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| Nuggets | First Eight Games | Past Eight Games |
|---|---|---|
| Times with 15-plus min. | 69 | 68 |
| Times with 12-plus min. | 82 | 71 |
| Record | 2-6 | 6-2 |
DENVER AT UTAH: 7 p.m. Monday, ALT; 950 AM
Spotlight on Derrick Favors: The 6-foot-10 forward from Georgia Tech is having a good season for the Jazz, which has been looking for a big-time lead player. The Jazz (5-12) is hoping Favors can develop into that player, and he’s been solid thus far with averages of 15.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots. He has averaged 17 points and 9.3 rebounds over his past three games.
Nuggets: JaVale McGee returned to practice Sunday and probably will play Monday in Salt Lake City. He missed Denver’s past three games because of soreness in his left tibia. … Darrell Arthur (knee) didn’t practice Sunday, but he is expected to be ready to play against the Jazz. … This is the first Nuggets-Jazz game of the season, but the fifth game against a Northwest Division team for Denver. The Nuggets are 1-3 against Northwest opponents.
Jazz: After good victories against Phoenix and Cleveland and a buzzer-beating win at New York, the Jazz has struggled. The team has lost five consecutive games, including three straight at home. … Utah split the four-game series with the Nuggets last season. … Gordon Hayward averaged 25 points, 6.7 rebounds and three assists in the three games the former Butler star played against the Nuggets last season. He leads the Jazz in scoring this season, averaging 19.2 points. Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
