It’s definitely a recurring problem in Denver. 25th NBA team in number of 3-point baskets scored last season on the smallest volume in the league, the Nuggets are trying to survive in the heights of the Western Conference going against the current trend, which aims to rule out always more the game.
But for its first game of the season against the Thunder, Denver tried harder, for a result close to being disastrous. And who has reason to worry about the future.
The subject is not new in the Rockies, however, it was even one of the main points of discussion in preparation after the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Orlando.
Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr, the only triggers
“ Coming into the season, our shooting was one of my concerns, especially when you lose a player like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was shooting 40% from distance » concedes coach Michael Malone. His post-for-post replacement Christian Braun was not unworthy, far from it, finishing as co-top scorer for the Nuggets (16 points) with Nikola Jokic. “ He was great tonight” his coach also noted at a press conference. “ But he's not going to be 'KCP', and we have to understand that, play like Christian is. »
The statistics sheet is clear, even more so with a shooting volume that is clearly up compared to last season, while the Thunder spent the game taking two shots at Nikola Jokic, thus opening solutions to prevent gambling.
But with a horrible 18% from far in 39 attempts, the Nuggets had only done worse in such proportions once since the arrival of Mike Malone on the bench (6/35, November 14, 2015 against the Suns ).
“ In attack, we have a lot of room for improvement » does not hide the Denver coach. “ It starts with the execution of our systems, our rhythm and our shot creation. We had a lot of open positions and we finished at 7/39 at 3-points […] However, we made 29 assists out of 35 successful shots, it's a crazy ratio. The guys were open and we want them to take those shots. »
Don't panic, but…
The Nuggets were notably weighed down by matches without their usually finest triggers, with 5/17 for Michael Porter Jr (3/10 three-pointers), and 4/13 for Jamal Murray (2/5 from afar) .
Too much, much too much even for Denver to be able to hold up offensively, especially against a defense as good as Oklahoma City's. “ We are not a good shooting team, other than Michael Porter Jr and Jamal Murray » asserts Nikola Jokic. “ The rest of us are more stock shooters, or rather decent shooters. We probably need to take advantage of other aspects of our game. » « When Jamal and Michael have so much trouble getting their shots in, it’s going to be complicated” Michael Malone also admits. “We have become so accustomed to both of them hitting shots with such success… »
Now is not the time for premature conclusions, nor for “ panic » assures the technician of the 2023 champion. But his words also once again reveal his disagreements with his management around the construction of his workforce and the Caldwell-Pope case. Mike Malone, however, wants to stay faithful to his plan for the moment, shoot more than last season, and trust his men.
We gotta keep taking these shots » insisted Christian Braun, 0/3 Thursday in the exercise, to the media. “ We just have to do a better job of getting them right. We have all the talent we need, all the shooting quality we need. We didn't get our shots in but neither did they, so for me that's not what needs to be taken into account. There were a lot of possessions that weren't typical Nuggets basketball. We had a lot of open positions and these are shots that will end up going in.“
