The Denver Postap Gina Mizell answered your questions about the in a live Lunch Special chat on Tuesday. Here are some highlights:
Do any of these Nuggets make the all-star team this year? is a joy to watch, but I fear his numbers won’t get him in.
Gina: The reserves will be announced later today, and I don’t think any Nuggets will get in. Jokic’s December injury and a January that has been inconsistent, at best, will likely keep him out in a loaded group of talent in the West. One could actually make an argument that is the most deserving Nuggets contender, given the way his offense has blossomed and his impact on the defensive end of the floor. But again, there’s so much terrific guard talent in the West — and he’s still under the radar nationally — that I just don’t think he makes it.
What is ‘s ceiling? He’s looked amazing the last two games. Can he keep this up?
Gina: As Mike Malone mentioned last night, Murray is kind of growing up before everybody’s eyes right now. And I think he still has a ton of potential, because he’s got this unique mentality in that he’s supremely confident but also very self-aware that he still has a long way to go to be the player that he strives to be. That fuels a relentless work ethic. Also don’t forget that Murray is healthy this season, after playing much of last year with two sports hernias. That, along with experience, is making a big difference. He can obviously still grow as a playmaker, but Denver does not necessarily need him to be a prototypical point guard — especially when he’s shooting the way he is right now. Let it fly, Blue Arrow.
What’s your take on Jason Kidd’s firing? He was always close with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Does this rub Big G the wrong way? Does it ultimately hurt Milwaukee?
Gina: I obviously don’t have any insider knowledge on the Bucks — haven’t even watched them in person yet this season — but midseason firings are always a bit jarring. It makes sense why Giannis would love learning from Kidd, one of the best point guards of all-time. And Giannis makes it a very attractive job.
Gina, do you think the starting lineup will continue to be in flux until returns? What would you think of a starting lineup of Murray, Gary Harris, , Jokic and , and having both and coming off the bench?
Gina: We reported last week that Malone said the starting frontcourt pairings will be dependent on the matchup until Millsap comes back. Though Lyles can give the Nuggets some minutes at the 3, I don’t think it’s a particularly good fit for him as a starter because I don’t think he’s fast enough on defense to stay with some quicker wings. And he’s a tougher matchup for defenders as the 4 or even a smaller 5. If you move Barton back to the bench and keep Chandler there, I’d prefer to give another go as the starter.
Any word if the Nuggets will trade or ?
Gina: If we had word that something concrete was either complete or imminent, we would report it. But I think those are still the Nuggets’ most likely trade pieces at the deadline.
Will the Nuggets be in on the Kemba Walker sweepstakes?
Gina: That would certainly be interesting. But I don’t know if Denver would want to take on one of Charlotte’s “bad” contracts that would come with Kemba (who has a terrific contract). If anything, the Nuggets will try to shed money at the deadline, not take on more unnecessary salary when Gary Harris’ extension kicks in next summer and Nikola Jokic also soon due a max deal.
Do you think the Nuggets are kicking themselves now for releasing . Sure would be nice to have a veteran PG right about now…
Gina: On the surface, that currently looks like a poor move. But I also understand why the front office did it — it forced Malone to give the point guard keys to the youngsters in Murray and Mudiay, with no crutch. Murray, after a slow start, has flourished. Mudiay … has not. So now I think the Nuggets know once and for all what they have in both players and can move forward accordingly. But that does perhaps take you back to needing a veteran point guard…
Nikola Jokic is averaging 16.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5 assists per game. You can count the number of NBA players producing such a stat line on a few fingers. There’s this narrative that he’s had some huge drop-off despite producing the same numbers he had during a 2016-17 season in which he was considered a revelation. What gives?
Gina: I hear you. I think the expectations on him are sometimes unfairly high, given he’s just in his third year. But he is the centerpiece of this franchise, and his shooting numbers have not been good in January at at times he has looked passive or prone to bad passes and turnovers. Part of that is because of playing power forward alongside Plumlee. Part of it, Malone feels, is that Jokic is feeling pressure the pressure of being that franchise player. But he’s going to need to keep growing and maturing and learning how to fight through adversity.
Do you agree with Kiszla about terminating the Mudiay experiment?
Gina: It was not ideal for Malone to turn to Will Barton as the de facto backup point guard — as we’ve seen with his offensive dip — but there’s a reason why the coach felt he needed to go that direction. Mudiay still ranks last among NBA point guards in defensive real plus/minus, which measures a player’s impact on team success. And thus … the Nuggets could use a suitable backup point guard.
Do you think they will give Torrey Craig some more playing time? Really good player, would be able to prove he can score if they give him some opportunities.
Gina: Like I mentioned below, I’d be on board with seeing him more in the starting lineup, given his success there when he first came up in December and his defensive versatility. It doesn’t make sense for Denver to waste his 45 days (unless they are for sure going to sign him to a full NBA deal once those are up) with him not playing a consistent role. On the other hand, the Nuggets are using every creative loophole possible to squeeze as much as they can out of Craig’s time in Denver.
Jokic still sometimes commits really stupid fouls out of frustration in not getting a call. Better than last year, but still a problem. Just wondering if the nuggets employ a psychologist to help with those types of issues?
Gina: A full-blown psychologist? Not that I’m aware of. But Jokic definitely still needs to mature in that area.
What are the Nuggets doing about Plumlee’s free throw shooting? I cringe every time he goes to the line.
Gina: Plumlee has never been a good free throw shooter — his career average is 56.5 — but it’s taken a sharp dip this season to 40.9 percent. It’s a cliche, but so much of free throws is mental. I see Plumlee working on them all the time after practice. His form is obviously funky … but so is the form on his jumper. But it does become a significant liability when opponents go to Hack-a-Plumlee.
What do feel are the chances of the Nuggets making the playoffs this year? I thought it was a sure thing until the last 10 games or so.
Gina: I still think the chances are very good, particularly since Paul Millsap is still scheduled to return around the all-star break. There’s basically four teams competing for three spots — Denver, the Clippers, Portland and New Orleans. Something out of Denver’s control that will be interesting to watch is what OTHER teams do at the trade deadline. The Nuggets’ next step in their progression as a young team is to make the playoffs. Are the Clippers and Pelicans, for instance, satisfied with that … or could they perhaps reset by trading DeAndre or Boogie? A move like that could take one of those teams out of the race, though the Clippers have been impressive with patchwork lineups over the past few weeks.
Whatap going on with the Manimal? Why has he been in the Nuggets’ dog house the past couple of years? I mean Malone is saying that he needs to find aggressive players who give effort and that description epitomizes Faried. Why don’t they like him?
Gina: He didn’t play last night because he was out with an ankle injury. As I noted in my Sunday piece about what “changes” could be coming, I tossed out the idea of putting Faried back in the rotation because, as you just mentioned, his best attributes are his energy and athleticism. But he also has limitations on both ends of the floor. Nonetheless, I’ll be curious to see if he gets more time when he’s back healthy.
What was the deal with getting in so much better shape after he was traded to Portland last year? Was he always unhappy in Denver and just wanted out?
Gina: You can read my story from yesterday about Nurkic for more on his feelings about leaving/coming back to Denver. But he clearly was not satisfied with being moved to the bench when Jokic became the Nuggets’ starting center. As for slimming down, you see that a lot with players when they change teams. Want to impress the new employer, right? Trey Lyles, for instance, did the same thing after being traded from the Nuggets to Denver.
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