The Denver Post’s Mike Singer answers your questions about the Nuggets. You can submit your questions here. Follow Mike for more daily updates on .
and have so exponentially elevated their games this year that I believe they could just as competently be relied upon as starters and game closers as — and be given more minutes than — and . What are your thoughts, and do you think the Nuggets will keep all four for the 2019-20 season?
— Brad Hicks, Arvada
Michael Malone has made it crystal clear that Murray and Harris are his starters. I agree with you that Beasley and Morris could each be starters as well, but I doubt it comes at the expense of either of those two. I could see a scenario next season where Malone opts to start either Morris at the one or Beasley at the two, thus playing a smaller rotation with Gary Harris bumped up to small forward. That would send to the bench and make him more of a supersub reserve.
The guy they’d probably be most willing to move is Beasley because of the immense value he’d command right now. He’s still on his rookie deal and is only beginning to tap his potential. Given how well he’s shot the both for several months, I think he’d return a protected first-round pick.
Of the current playoff contenders in the West which teams do you think the Nuggets match up well against and which teams should they hope to avoid in the first round of the playoffs? Obviously, Golden State is a terrible matchup for any team, but for the Nuggets in particular I hope they can avoid any potential matchup with the Rockets as the Nuggets are 1-9 against them over the last 10 meetings. Another team I hope they can avoid is the Lakers as LeBron is just scary in the playoffs and has proven he can carry a team to the finals. So in your opinion which teams should fans be hoping the Nuggets face in the first round and which teams should we hope they avoid of the playoff contenders?
— Ryan Brisse, Castle Rock
Fortunately for the Nuggets, itap unlikely they’ll clash with the Rockets in the first round. If the seeding breaks their way, they might not even see them until the conference finals. But we’re jumping ahead. The Nuggets should hope for a first-round series against the Clippers. I know they’re a deep, scrappy team, but they traded their best player – Tobias Harris – at the deadline, and Denver would be favored against Doc’s squad. It wasn’t until recently that we even knew whether the Clippers wanted to make the playoffs and forgo a lottery pick.
I think both the Spurs and the Jazz would be tough outs. The Jazz are a long, physical team that presents difficult matchup problems for anyone, including the Nuggets. Utah’s advantage is that Jae Crowder, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert can all capably slow . Donovan Mitchell is an electric scorer, and I wouldn’t want to have to go into Salt Lake City and win a game if the Nuggets can’t hold home court.
The Spurs and their 21 consecutive postseason appearances are scary. Pop has put together another winning outfit despite the chaos of last summer’s Kawhi Leonard standoff and a rash of injuries. They don’t beat themselves with turnovers and run a masterclass on exploiting defensive breakdowns. The Nuggets’ defense has been inconsistent the second half of the season. I’d be nervous facing a team of seasoned veterans.
I’ve noticed something very strange. Nikola Jokic does not raise his hands on defense. Like, ever. He’s a 7-footer in the post, and he doesn’t contest shots. If he just raised em up, he’d influence a fair number of shots. Now that I’ve noticed this, it’s driving me nuts! Has anyone else brought this up? What gives?
— Sam, Seattle
Does raising the roof count? I’ve seen him do that once or twice. I think there’s a difference between raising your hands in the post and swiping at balls in the post. He doesn’t do much of the latter because he rarely outright blocks a shot – and he’s wary of getting whistled for a foul. But I do feel like his contests have been better.
I have to say his overall commitment on the defensive end is much improved this season, too. Knowing they needed him on the court, Nuggets assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. designed the defense with Jokic in mind. His positioning on pick-and-rolls and his spatial awareness are more advanced than they were earlier in his career. Malone has been very pleased with Joker’s improved effort on that end.
