As the NBA playoffs approach, the Denver Nuggets find themselves in a precarious position due to significant weaknesses in their defense. The Denver Nuggets are surprisingly sitting atop the Western Conference. It’s their lack of defensive prowess that is beginning to alarm analysts and fans.
For the Nuggets, the outlook is quite dire. They rank 28th in the league for preventing transition points, giving up 23.8 opponent fast-break points per 100 possessions. Moreover, they rank just 24th in fast-break points allowed. No team is more challenged in stopping their foes from taking greatest advantage of quick breaks. This is a troubling development, as they prepare to make a deep postseason run. Playoff teams have been shooting about 14% of their attempts as two-pointers outside the arc the past four years. This trend is going to really test the Nuggets’ defensive strategy.
Funny enough, despite all that, the Nuggets have the most fast-break points in the league themselves. Their offensive efficiency is quite methodical, producing points in an effective fashion, but this can sometimes be their strength that exposes their defensive weakness. Analysts have pointed out that the Nuggets force their opponents to take 9.5 mid-range shots per game on average. This figure is not a true reflection of the team’s struggles on the defensive end. While they excel offensively, their inability to prevent easy buckets in transition could become a significant playoff problem, particularly for contenders like the Boston Celtics.
The Warriors, themselves still in the championship window, might soon be facing the Nuggets’ potential in the playoffs. Of all the possible teams they could face, the Nuggets might offer the best matchup considering where they are trending statistically. That may not last for long though, if their defense doesn’t get its act together.
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