Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets gives high fives against the Houston Rockets (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)”n
When you think of the Denver Nuggets, you likely think of Nikola Jokic slinging no-look dimes, Jamal Murray dropping bombs from outside, and Michael Porter Jr. rising up for a smooth mid-range over a hapless defender’s outstretched hands.
Well, Murray’s been out with a torn ACL and MPJ was playing poorly even before his most recent back injury. The Nuggets currently have the 23rd ranked offense in the league, per Cleaning the Glass.
Yet despite all of that, they are 7-4 and in the thick of the playoff race, thanks to the second-best defense in the league. They’ve held eight of their 11 opponents under 100 points. How are they cobbling together a top defense with only one true stopper (forward Aaron Gordon) on the team?
How the Denver Nuggets defense is leading the way this season
To figure it out, let’s dive into the weeds like a gopher on the run. Dean Oliver, the author of the Moneyball-esque Basketball on Paper, believes that there are “four factors” that contribute to winning games:
- Shooting (often measured by effective FG%, or eFG%, which accounts for the fact that a three-pointer is worth 50% more than a two-pointer)
- Turnovers (how many possessions end in a turnover on offense/how many turnovers are forced on defense)
- Rebounding (how many offensive rebounds does a team allow)
- Free Throws (how many free throws are made compared to how many field goals are attempted?)
We already know the Nuggets have the second-best defense, giving up just 102.6 points per 100 possessions, but how do they stack up here?
Note: all stats per Cleaning the Glass unless otherwise specified. Stats accurate as of Thursday morning, Nov 11, 2021.
Cleaning the Glass</a> unless otherwise specified. Stats accurate as of Thursday morning, Nov 11, 2021.</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/11/jokic-denver-nuggets-defense/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Breaking down the stats </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-437901" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/11/jokic-denver-nuggets-defense/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1352070869.jpeg" alt="Denver Nuggets" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1352070869.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1352070869-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Kevin Porter Jr. #3 of the Houston Rockets passes against the Denver Nuggets (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)”n</p>
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<h2>The stats show how great the Denver Nuggets are on defense</h2>
<p>Turns out, they are <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/11/jokic-denver-nuggets-defense/"https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/8/team#tab-four_factors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">above-average at everything</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li>eFG%: 51.3% – 13th in the league</li>
<li>TOV%: 16.0% – 11th</li>
<li>oREB%: 22.5% – Third</li>
<li>FTM/FGA: 15.2 – Sixth</li>
</ul>
<p>To summarize, the Denver Nuggets hold teams to a reasonable shooting percentage, force a solid amount of turnovers, never let teams get their own misses, and keep teams from making free throws. Sounds pretty good when laid out like that!</p>
<p>The Nuggets were 11th in defense last year, too, with pretty much the same roster, and were 16th and 11th the two years before that. This is a team with a solid track record of defense, and they are playing better than ever on that end of the court.</p>
<p>Unlike, say, the Bucks, who generally run the same defense every game, the Nuggets have been fluid to start the year. Blitzes, hedges, dropbacks, and switches have all been in regular rotation without being predictable. This keeps offenses on their toes and makes it so they are unable to gameplan effectively.</p>
<p>One major positive that should be sustainable – the Denver Nuggets never give up in transition. This is a high-energy team that always hustles back. They’re giving up a miserly 108 points per 100 transition plays, the fourth-stingiest mark in the league, and give up transition plays at the fifth-lowest rate.</p>
<p>If other teams aren’t getting fast-break points, how are they scoring? Denver does give up a ton of corner threes, which is usually a bad sign, and opponents are hitting them at roughly league-average rates. Teams have scored well at the rim against the Nuggets, but this is primarily due to the complete lack of a rim protector behind Jokic.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/11/jokic-denver-nuggets-defense/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon on defense </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-437899" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/11/jokic-denver-nuggets-defense/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2166,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1350129990.jpeg" alt="Denver Nuggets" width="3200" height="2166" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1350129990.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1350129990-768x520.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets high fives Aaron Gordon #50 during the first half of the NBA game (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon are the leaders of the Denver Nuggets defense</h2>
<p>Lots of media coverage focuses on what Nikola Jokic can’t do. He’s not going to shut down lightning-quick point guards on the perimeter or volleyball spike a shot into the sixth row of fans.</p>
<p>He is certainly not the quickest of cats (although slimmer Jokic has been showing some hops!). However, the Joker is extremely strong, has active hands, and knows exactly where to be at all times. Watch his game-saving block against Houston :</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">MVP and… DPOY?! <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/11/jokic-denver-nuggets-defense/"https://t.co/DDa86LMUfB">pic.twitter.com/DDa86LMUfB
<p>— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/11/jokic-denver-nuggets-defense/"https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1457130448186839043?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>November 6, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>It’s not the prettiest block you’ll ever see, but it gets the job done, which is Jokic’s defense in a nutshell.</p>
<p>Jokic is averaging 1.6 steals and a career-high 1.0 blocks per game, and NBA.com shows that opponents are shooting a little worse than expected at the rim against him. He also Dysons up rebounds, finishing possessions decisively. He’ll never be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year, but he’s not a matador pirouetting out of the way of <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/11/jokic-denver-nuggets-defense/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/09/demar-derozan-return-form/">rampaging Bulls</a>, either.</p>
<p>The Nuggets traded for Aaron Gordon hoping he could be that kind of award-winning stopper on the wing, and he hasn’t disappointed. Freed from carrying the creative burden the Orlando Magic forced upon him, AG has devoted all of his energy to locking down the opponent’s best players.</p>
<p>Matchup data from NBA.com shows that he’s spent most of his time guarding bonafide scorers like Jimmy Butler, Ja Morant, Christian Wood, and Luka Doncic. Despite this, Gordon is holding opponents to just 41.7% shooting from the field.</p>
<p>His athleticism allows him to recover even when he seems beaten. In the first clip below, you can see him chase down Devin Booker in just a few steps, wait patiently for his chance, and then pounce on the layup attempt like a cat playing with his prey:</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1458143601737834498</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/11/jokic-denver-nuggets-defense/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> One sign of danger </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-386851" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/11/jokic-denver-nuggets-defense/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1203297279.jpeg" alt="Denver Nuggets" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1203297279.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1203297279-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Monte Morris #11 and Will Barton #5 of the Denver Nuggets celebrate in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>One sign of danger for the elite defense of the Denver Nuggets</h2>
<p>Will Barton is another key defensive piece. Always a high-energy player, Barton has picked his spots more tactfully this year, resulting in the best forced-turnover rates of his career, and his best individual positional defense. Off-ball defense has been an issue for him in the past, but this year his head has been on a swivel.</p>
<p>Point man Monte Morris has done a solid job corralling opposing ball handlers. Even Michael Porter Jr. had been mediocre-to-solid before his injury.</p>
<p><strong>One danger sign:</strong> The Nugget’s bench defense has been disastrous, mostly due to the complete lack of rim protectors (as noted earlier). There’s no true backup center on this roster, and as crazy as it sounds, the Nuggets are missing gold-medalist Javale McGee. It’s not killing the Nuggets yet, but this defense could be in trouble if the starters have extended absences.</p>
<p>Overall, this team has faced solid opposition and performed admirably on the defensive end to this point. Even if the Nuggets struggle to figure things out on offense (something that should fix itself as long as Nikola Jokic is playing), their defense could be enough to keep them in the playoff mix until the return of Jamal Murray, hopefully, in the spring. If that happens, nobody will want to play this team come playoff time.</p>
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