season review

To Kenneth Faried, the answer to what he would be as a player on the court has always been simple and succinct.

“You’re going to see Manimal,” the seven-year veteran forward said. “Every time I step on the court.”

“I wear my heart on my sleeve,” Faried said. “And every night you see me going out there and playing with my heart on my sleeve. I make those emotional plays – the diving, jumping, whatever. People look at me like, ‘that’s the Manimal.’

To that end, Faried put all of that emotion in his appearances on the court. Per 36 minutes, Faried led the Nuggets – the players who appeared in over 25 games – in average charges drawn, was third in screen assists, fifth in contested 2-point shots, and was fifth in contested shots of all kinds.

Faried played in 32 games (14.4 minutes per game), with averages of 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds. Extrapolated over 36 minutes, those averages would be 14.7 points and 12.0 rebounds. So, from a production standpoint, Faried packed a lot into his time on the court.

His heaviest stint of playing time came in the immediate aftermath of Paul Millsap��s wrist injury in November. In eight games from Nov. 24-Dec. 10 Faried started in six of them, played an average of 27.1 minutes, and averaged 11.9 points and 9.5 rebounds in those contests. The Nuggets were 3-0 when he scored at least 14 points in those games, and were 2-1 when he had a double-double.

And his biggest impact offensively came in transition and as the roll man in pick-and-roll action. In transition, Faried scored 1.25 points per possession and shot 69.6 percent from the field. In rolls to the basket, Faried scored 1.304 points per possession, and shot 61.9 percent. With his athleticism, he was a constant lob threat in screen-roll action, and he finished a ton of them.

Defensively, Faried was an improved defender in space. Opponents averaged just 29 percent shooting against him in isolation plays. Faried will continue to improve in pick-and-roll actions, as well as defending post-ups.

And when he wasn’t playing, Faried supported his teammates.

“It’s just a matter of me being on the court or whatever happens – me being an assistant, helping coach the people that’s on the court,” he said. “Whatever I need to do, I know how to get there to help my team.”

Christopher Dempsey: christopher.dempsey@altitude.tv and @chrisadempsey on Twitter.

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2017-18 Nuggets Player Breakdown: Kenneth Faried

From the moment Richard Jefferson stepped in front of the microphones in his first press conference as a Denver Nugget, it was like a night at The Improv.

"I'm so old,” he said, “I don't care about what my playing role is.”

The jokes and one-liners flowed out of Jefferson like water from a faucet.

Yet, Jefferson’s presence on the team was a much more serious thing. The Nuggets added him for his experience and his voice. They needed more veteran leadership. Jefferson embraced it right away.

"My job is to kind of get here and be the old grumpy man and make sure everybody's working and making sure guys are putting in that extra time," Jefferson said. "Because the first step is figuring out how to belong in this league, the next thing is figuring out how to contribute and the next thing is learning how to win."

There wasn’t an expectation for big playing time, and in fact Jefferson played sparingly, appearing in 20 games. Yet, he still became a hit with media, doing multiple interviews, and bringing along his popular “Road Trippin” podcast. And he became a hit with his teammates, providing advice at the right time or much-needed levity in a heavy moment.

In the end, Jefferson played the role he expected to near perfection. In an interview with the Boston Globe, he talked about the Nuggets, and his longevity, in greater detail.

“I think we really have young players that want to do well and excel in this league, if anything I’m more of a confirmation voice that they’re working as hard as they should and they’re playing as hard as they should,” Jefferson said. “After you hit about 10 years in this league you start to experience the [age difference] because guys that are 19 were 9 when you came into this league. The first time I heard that was Year 9 or Year 10, and it’s something that you get used to.

“People want to make it seem like old jokes, but at the end of the day I pray that everyone in this league gets to 17 years. I pray that every one of these guys gets an opportunity to play well past their prime. That’s a compliment to work ethic and health. As much as there’s jokes, there needs to be compliments said about guys that have the ability to stay around.”

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2017-18 Nuggets Player Breakdown: Richard Jefferson

Prior to every game he played, two-way contract Nuggets guard Monte Morris received a text from his mom. The most important line was a reoccurring one:

“Don’t play with your food,” the text said. “I never let you do that.”

But then, Morris never really had to be reminded of that.

He is as motivated as they come. A second-round Nuggets selection last summer, Morris played the majority of the season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League with averages of 18.0 points, 6.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals.

Morris played in three games with the Nuggets.

And if you’re looking for a box score that provides a clear view of what Morris could do on a regular basis, his night with the Nuggets at the Houston Rockets on Feb. 9 provides a window.

In 22 minutes, Morris scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, had six assists and three steals. He faced one of his NBA idols, Chris Paul, and walked away with a couple of moves to add to his arsenal. But more than anything, Morris put speed on the court. He made shots. He got the ball to the right players in positions to score. And on defense he was quick and played with great anticipation.

Morris’ ability to play fast without turning the ball over was attractive to the Nuggets in the lead up to last year’s draft. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.51 in the G League backed up everything he accomplished in four years of college at Iowa State.

But Morris was also able to get experience off the ball as shooting guard, and he shot 47.3 percent overall, and 34.4 percent from the 3-point line.

“I’m just playing my game, doing whatever the defense tells me to do,” said Morris in an interview with Altitude Sports during the season. “They want to see me knock down shots, and I challenge myself every night the lights come on to do that. If they want me to do that I’ve got to do that.”

With the Nuggets backup point guard situation in flux, Morris stands to get a long look this offseason to be added to the permanent Nuggets roster and play significant meaningful minutes in 2018-19.
“I’ve got to attack,” Morris said. “I’ve got to do this. This is one of my steppingstones in my career, and it will make the story better later on.”

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2017-18 Nuggets Player Breakdown: Monte Morris

Darrell Arthur’s evolution from leading solely – or mostly – by example, to finding more instances to be vocal, started in earnest last summer.

That was when Arthur, the veteran Nuggets forward, dipped his toe into the world of coaching, hanging around the Nuggets summer league, giving pointers to the young players and getting a clearer view of what it might be like to coach. As it turned out, Arthur would put a lot of that to practice during the 2017-18 season – and excel in the role.

A glut of forwards on the roster suppressed Arthur’s playing time on the court. He appeared in 19 games. But he stood out in his worth in the locker room. And that quickly earned the respect of Nuggets coach Michael Malone.

“He’s putting the team above everything, above himself, which, when we talk about our culture — our work culture, a trust culture, and a selfless culture — he embodies being selfless,” said Malone during the season. “He is putting everybody else above his own personal wants and needs which you have to admire and respect. I think, even though he’s not impacting us on the court… his impact off the court, in the locker room, and in the practice court is tremendous.”

And when he was on the court, Arthur flashed the reliable jump shot and steady defense that has become his calling card. In pick-and-roll situations, the majority of which Arthur popped out for a jump shot, he averaged 1.333 points per possession and shot 63 percent. The best example of that was his 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting overall – 2-of-3 from the 3-point line – in a Nuggets’ win over Charlotte on Feb. 5 at the Pepsi Center. He added two steals in that contest.

But it was his work in pregame 3-on-3 contests, which helped keep teammates ready to play, plus his advice and general support that were his most important contributions.

“What really separates him, I think, is that the players have so much respect for Darrell Arthur,” Malone said. “Because every single day whether it’s a (practice) day…when we are not doing a lot or days when we are going hard, he goes 110 percent. So when he does speak, players listen to him, because he is doing it.

“There are guys that are telling you what to do, but they are not doing it themselves. (Arthur) sets the example first and foremost, and then he gets on guys – whether it’s to hold them accountable or to encourage them. With all our young players, they listen to him. His voice carries weight and I think it really starts with the fact that he sets the example every single day and that’s why the players respect him so much.”

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2017-18 Nuggets Player Breakdown: Darrell Arthur

Malik Beasley’s second season in the NBA provided a few more glimpses as to the type of player he aspires to be – and left him hungry to work this summer to put himself on the fast track to achieve those goals.

So, what will he work on? In a word: Everything.

“Get better,” Beasley said. “Strong. Work on my ball handling, work on my shooting. Work on everything… just trying to get better. Especially my body. I want to make sure I don’t get any injuries, and I want to stay strong in my core.”

The Nuggets reserve shooting guard’s appearances grew by 40 games from his first season (22) to his second (62). A five-game stretch in December – in the midst of the Nuggets’ second-longest road trip of the season – provided Beasley’s most dense period of playing time this season. There were six straight games where he reached double figures in time on the court. Five of those were at least 16 minutes or more. Two were over 23 minutes, including an inspired 28-minute game at Orlando, where Beasley scored 12 points with four rebounds and three assists in a Nuggets’ victory.

Defense, however, was the reason why Beasley hit the court.

“I’ve known that Malik Beasley not only has the physical talent to be a good defender,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone at that time. “But more importantly, Malik has the mental edge, the mental attitude and thought process to be a good defender.”

Beasley was the kind of player that Malone could put on the court to change the energy level on the defensive end. In his best moments, Beasley hounded ball-handlers, dove on the ground for loose basketballs, and could get out in the open court to finish with dunks at the rim if/when turnovers were created.

And midway through the season, the 21-year old Beasley had learned enough about life in the NBA, and about himself, that he made changes to his approach.

“I started figuring out after All Star break, just learning the season and learning how hard you’ve got to grind to be good every day and maintain your body every day,” Beasley said. “I just took a different approach to the game to really focus on basketball, not all of the other things. Watched more film, worked on my body more. I could see the results and I started to get better and better every day.”

Those are things he aims to build on during the summer. Because Beasley, who averaged 9.4 minutes per game, understands one central fact:

“I think I could have pushed a lot more,” he said. “I just know I’ve got to get better overall. Whether that’s offense, defense. I’ve got to get stronger, too.”

Beasley has an intriguing future. And he’s ready, more than ever, to make that future a current reality.

Christopher Dempsey: christopher.dempsey@altitude.tv and @chrisadempsey on Twitter

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2017-18 Nuggets Player Breakdown: Malik Beasley

By the time February rolled around, the Nuggets knew they were in need of experienced, veteran help at reserve point guard, and Devin Harris arrived via trade in February to help.

With 14 years in the NBA, and still playing at a high level, Harris fit the bill. He has so much experience that his career stats take up a full screen, top-to-bottom when scrolling through them on the NBA.com stats site. And he ended up putting a lot of heady play on the court for the Nuggets when they needed it.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone was looking for Harris to push the pace, and Harris did just that. His pace of 100.75 was fourth-best on the team among regular rotation players from his first game, on Feb. 10, to the end of the season. For comparison, the team’s overall pace during his 27 games was 99.98.

Overall, Harris averaged 8.2 points and 2.5 assists. He was second on the team in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.48) in his 27 games with the Nuggets. Harris, who came to the team from Dallas, is an unrestricted free agent this summer.

“With the young guys that they have, learning to play with these guys, I would like to know what a full season looks like,” Harris said. “I would like to continue to help these young guys as well as getting better in the situation myself. That’s definitely on the table.

“Coming from the situation that I was in, being able to play meaningful games, playoff atmosphere games, it’s been great for me. Especially, late in my career. I really enjoyed my time.”

OFFENSE: Once Harris got comfortable with the offense and could to playing without thinking, he was a highly effective player. He graded out well in all of his most-used actions – spot-up shooting, handling the ball in pick-and-roll, transition and in handoffs.

In pick-and-roll, Harris was best in making decisions with the ball. And he quickly got on the same page with Nuggets bigs, Nikola Jokić and Mason Plumlee. With Jokic, he regularly slipped passes to the big man, who mostly popped out to take jump shots. Harris quickly created space by taking two defenders and then snapping the pass to Jokić right where he could catch and shoot.

With Plumlee, Harris was able to turn the corner on screen-roll action and draw multiple defenders to him – and then lob the ball up for an alley-oop dunk. Harris had 13 assists to Plumlee and 14 to Jokić. So, 27 of his 67 assists in a Nuggets uniform – 40 percent – went to those two players.

And because he was a threat to make a shot, defenses had to play him honestly, and Harris could almost always pick out the pass he wanted. When he opted to shoot, he was effective. From March 7 to the end of the regular season, as he was settling into the Nuggets’ system, Harris shot 43.3 percent from the field and 38 percent from the 3-point line. He was a threat off the ball playing alongside starting point guard Jamal Murray, and in scramble situations when the Nuggets got an offensive rebound. Harris averaged 1.101 points per possession as a spot-up shooter with the Nuggets, which ranked in the top 25 percent of the league in that span of time.

DEFENSE: Harris was helpful in pick-and-roll coverage as part of five-man units that held opponents to .757 points per possession and 37 percent shooting in screen-roll plays. Opponents turned the ball over in 16 percent of the screen-roll plays that Harris was part of defending.

Harris had 11 of his 14 steals with the Nuggets in the month of March, including four games of two steals. Defending in spot up shooting situations was second-most on the list. Combined, defending pick-and-roll and spot up shooting accounted for nearly 70 percent of all of Harris’s action on that end of the court.

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2017-18 Nuggets Player Breakdown: Devin Harris

The connection was a flash of what could be. Monte Morris, swiping a pass along the sideline at midcourt and quickly getting downhill toward the rim on a fast break. Tyler Lydon trailed the play, sprinting behind Morris. Morris flipped a behind-the-back pass to his Rio Grande Valley teammate, who threw down a monster two-handed dunk.

Lydon spent the majority of his 2017-18 season getting experience in the G League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers before a knee injury cut his season short. He played in one game with the Nuggets. Lydon had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in January, and spent the remainder of the season rehabbing the injury. According to his agent, who has done multiple interviews with news outlets on the subject, Lydon is hoping to be ready to play for the Nuggets summer league team in July.

Prior to the injury, Lydon was playing well. In fact, his final stats with Rio Grande Valley were nearly identical to his college stats in his final season at Syracuse, which earned him a first-round draft selection, No. 24 overall, to the Nuggets.

2017-18 at Rio Grande Valley: 12.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 51.8 field goal percentage, 36.7 3-point percentage.

2016-17 at Syracuse: 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 47.2 field goal percentage, 39.2 3-point percentage.

At his best, Lydon put a solid floor game on the court. He ran the court well, was athletic to the rim, was not afraid to mix it up for rebounds, and was scrappy in diving to the court for loose balls. On draft night, Nuggets brass expressed high hopes that Lydon could grow into a bonafide shooting power forward. When he returns to full health, he’ll get a chance to get back on the road to being just that.

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2017-18 Nuggets Player Breakdown: Tyler Lydon

It was career year for Will Barton, who enjoyed a bigger role with the Nuggets and turned it into his best stats as a pro.

His 15.7 points, 4.1 assists, 1.0 steals, 33.1 minutes and 45.2 percent shooting from the field were all career highs. His 2.22 assist-to-turnover ratio was second on the team only to Devin Harris (2.48).

And he was the most versatile player on the team, playing point guard, shooting guard and small forward, and doing all of that in both starting and reserve roles. Barton is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the Nuggets would like him back in their uniform.

“All I can speak to is my relationship with Will Barton and how much I care about him as a person, first and foremost,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “And then you speak to the fact that he wore so many hats this year – starter, off the bench, backup point guard, two-guard, small forward. It doesn’t matter with Will. He’s a basketball player.”

Barton also wore another significant hat: Closer.

He led the Nuggets in average fourth quarter minutes at 9.3. His 4.0 points per fourth quarter was second on the team only to Jamal Murray’s 4.3. Barton was also nearly automatic from the free throw line when the Nuggets needed it most, making 33-of-35 (94.3 percent) from the charity stripe in the clutch. That was fourth-best in the NBA among players who had taken at least 15 clutch time free throws in the regular season.

“And, to see him step up in the manner in which he did when Gary Harris was out late, that allowed us to go 8-3 in the last 11 games; that allowed us to go 6-1 to close out the season,” Malone said. “I thought Will was fantastic. I think he improved this year defensively. … He had a career season. He was a big part of what did this year, and I would love nothing more than to have Will Barton back in a Denver Nugget uniform.”

OFFENSE: Barton played more in transition, and more analytically.

The percentage of his total shots that were 3-pointers jumped from 35.3 percent in 2016-17 to 41.1 percent this season. Additionally, Barton scored 44.5 percent of his total points in the paint, his highest percentage in three years, which was a two percent jump over the 2016-17 season. Barton reduced his midrange shooting, taking just 83 shots from that space this season. He took 93 last season.

Changes in the frequency of his on-ball actions lent themselves to his ability to play at the arc or at the rim. These are his most used actions in each of the last two seasons. As you can see, the order is exactly the same. The percentages of times these actions were used, however, are very different.

Pick-and-roll, ball handler: 26.2 percent

Pick-and-roll, ball handler: 30.2 percent

So, more transition, more spot up shooting, and fewer times handling the ball in pick-and-roll circumstances, which many times puts the player in situations to take midrange shots. Barton took a career-high 5.2 3-point shots per game and equaled his career high 3-point percentage, making 37 percent of his attempts from the arc.

In total, his offensive improvements were a continuation of Barton smoothing out the rough edges of his game, and honing-in on the things he does best. And he accomplished it this season under the pressure of playing three different positions, many times playing multiple positions in a game each night.

DEFENSE: Nuggets coach Michael Malone has spoken to Barton’s improvement on the defensive end. Barton agreed, but added he’s got continued work to do.

There were only two Nuggets to have at least 80 steals and 50 blocks this season – Nikola Jokić (90/61) and Barton (82/52). Barton’s on-ball defense was much-improved this season, so much so that he found himself regularly on the court in defensive lineups in critical games late in the season.

In pick-and-roll coverages, Barton will continue to work on fighting through screens more consistently. On the weak side, Barton said he has to continue to work on his help defense while also keeping track of his man.

But by any measure, this season was a nice step forward for Barton.

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2017-18 Nuggets Player Breakdown: Will Barton

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