The Nuggets became comfortable taking gut punches in the playoffs, but does it have to apply to the rest of us?
A month after their capitulation against the Timberwolves, the Nuggets have made watching the NBA Finals a painful experience.
Lost in the headlines of the breathtaking Victor Wembanyama squaring off against the soul-crushing Jalen Brunson is a buried nugget that relates to the Nuggets.
In Game 1, the Spurs used 10 players, including 12 minutes from ABA veteran Harrison Barnes and 10 from backup center Luke Kornet. Ten players logged in for the Knicks, including nine with at least 11 minutes. Landry Shamet clocked 33. Entering Game 2, the last time New York lost was April 23.
Which brings us back to Denver and its rookie coach’s mistake. The offseason was dedicated to trading Michael Porter Jr. to reinforce the bench. The Nuggets added Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown and Jonas Valanciunas, providing more suitable roles late in the season for Julian Strawther and eventually Tyus Jones.
And yet, they became ghosts until it was too late. Even with Aaron Gordon hurt, even with Jamal Murray suffocating under the Saran-Wrap tight defense of Jaden McDaniels, David Adelman leaned on a seven-man rotation.
It brought back memories of last postseason when the Nuggets bench was Russell Westbrook. Singular.
Hardaway delivered a pedestrian performance with 10.8 points in 23 minutes per game, but never percolated from beyond the arc. Bruce Brown looked out of sync, assuming a spark plug role at home and a cheerleader spot on the road. Brown netted 19.2 minutes a game, scoring 6.3 points, but with nearly two turnovers. Spencer Jones was the only player to exceed reserve expectations with 6.5 points in 24 minutes.
And for all of the bluster about keeping Nikola Jokic fresh, Valanciunas was nonexistent. He was bad when he was in, but was it because Adelman clearly lost confidence in him? Why not use him as a roughneck to foul McDaniels hard early in Game 3 and Game 4?
The Bonus Jonas brother only appeared in four games vs. Minnesota, contributing 2.8 points and 1.3 turnovers in 6.3 minutes.
And don’t get me started about Strawther and Jones. Strawther appeared twice, logging 18 total minutes and making two shots. Jones checked into three games, and clearly should have been used sooner in the series to take pressure off Murray to initiate the offense with Gordon hurt.
Jones was solid, averaging 1.7 assists and no turnovers in his 30 minutes.
The Thunder, Spurs and Knicks look so far away, the Nuggets could have telescope night for the first 5,000 fans on opening night and no one would blanch.
This is a critical offseason for the Nuggets. They need to trade multiple players, starting with Cam Johnson and Gordon. But they cannot move forward without Adelman learning lessons.
Nobody wants to hear about the defensive metrics ranking better than expected against Minnesota. The Nuggets failed the eye test. And they were not athletic enough.
But if the playoffs tell us anything, it is that depth matters. Adelman will be given decent bench players. If the Nuggets are going to surprise anyone next postseason, he must do a better job of using them.
Don’t Bet On It: Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby trampled the NCAA gambling rules. Hopefully, the treatment he received for his addiction takes. However, Sorsby wants a judge to grant him an injunction to play this season. Please. Sorsby bet on games involving teams he was on. He should be banned. Full stop. Allowing him to return makes a mockery of any rules on the subject.
Sing along: College baseball getting a bump with so many upsets in the regionals was fantastic. The lasting story? West Virginia fans and players singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver after knocking out Kentucky. Understand, it is not a song in West Virginia. It is an anthem. It is played after sporting events and “it is almost always the last song played at a wedding reception,” said Cathy Rennard, president and CEO of Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg. “It is wonderful the way that it connects people.”
