Losses to key personnel and players resulted in a disappointing season for the Nuggets.
Final Record: 36-46
Grade: C-
The Nuggets opened the year strong in the wild western conference with an 11-6 record, at one point winning seven straight. The start helped fans forget about losing Andre Iguodala and George Karl, but it would only be temporary, as they would lose eight straight including a 21 point loss to Memphis and a loss to Philadelphia. For the remainder of the season the Nuggets would see a few wins, followed by more losses. Only one season removed from winning 57 games, the Nuggets entered the lottery.
Reality vs. Expectations
Grade: C
Most preseason rankings had Denver somewhere between the six-eight seed, which made the 11th place finish a major disappointment. However, the offseason did reveal a shaky squad indicative of how their season would go. George Karl was fired, general manager Masai Ujiri left for Toronto, and Iguodala was sent to Golden State. Additionally, key role players Corey Brewer and Kosta Koufos signed elsewhere, leaving the team with holes from management to the bench.
Coaching Staff
Grade: C-
Replacing the Coach of the Year would never be easy. Brian Shaw was brought in, a defensive-minded, player’s coach that fans hoped could keep the team moving in the right direction. Turns out, if you don’t have health, it doesn’t matter. The Nuggets simply couldn’t compete with their limping squad in the (wild, wild)* West. They put up a Defensive Efficiency rating of 105.4, good for only 21st in the league (down from 11 last year with more offensive-minded George Karl).
The low for Shaw was the public argument with Andre Miller. Miller took it out on Shaw for giving him the first DNP of his esteemed 15 year career. Miller was suspended and traded for the public shouting match, but many felt the incident showed Shaw’s lack of respect for his players. If he didn’t even know of this streak, as he claimed, Shaw never would have understood the pride Miller took in it. Clearly, Shaw did not know enough about his players, something every first-year coach should look into before joining their team. Overall, Shaw did a mediocre job, but still it is too early too hold judgement with the roster he was dealing with.
Players
Grade: C-
Ty Lawson (PG): B+
Lawson was the primary offensive weapon for Denver, leading the team in both points (17.6) and assists (8.8) as well as posting a 19.0 PER. Lawson did his best to run the team with those around him, and did a good job with his first year as “the guy” in Denver.
Kenneth Faried (PF): B+
Faried arguably contributed the most through his consistency on the offensive end (13.7 points) as well as his great defensive play which helped him get to a PER of 19.9. Faried’s hustle, physicality, and smart play also was represented in his 8.6 rebounds per game. Faried will be a key player for the future in Denver.
Nate Robinson (PG): C+
Ah Nate. As the key offseason signing for Denver, Robinson was expected to bring the same play he brought to Chicago’s post-season run, and did not (10.4 points, 0.8 steals). His season would be cut short due to injury, a common theme for Denver, but at least he starred in a great Taco Bell commercial.
Javale McGee (C): Incomplete
The five games he played is not a sufficient sample size and his injury represented the problems Denver saw with key players.
Randy Foye (SG): B-
Foye stepped up in a rough season, and without the slow start (8.6 points, 2 rebounds over first 29 games) actually put up a pretty decent campaign starting at shooting guard. Foye did not play great defensively, but held his own, and brought some consistency to the lineup after his early struggles.
Wilson Chandler (SF): C+
Chandler did battle injury problems throughout the duration of the season, but ended up playing a fairly significant role taking over for Gallinari in the three. Chandler’s stats look pretty good compared to teammates (13.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 41.6 percent shooting) but in comparison to last year, playing six less minutes per game, Chandler declined in many categories. Chandler was fine, but did not contribute as much as expected.
Others: C-
Timofey Mozgov and JJ Hickson were the only Nuggets not named the Manimal or the Ty Lawson to have a PER over 16 but Hickson’s season would be cut short due to injury. Evan Fournier was a bright spot and an uninjured player playing multiple positions, even power forward, and improving overall. Likewise, Aaron Brooks had a solid season coming .1 assists per game shy of a career high. After the Miller dilemma and Robinson injury, Brooks played a key role filling in alongside Lawson, even though his defense at times was lacking. Danilo Gallinari was out the entire year with an ACL injury, severely hurting the team’s chances. In the end, many players struggled, and the bench lacked versatility as the team was hit by an injury bug.
Front Office
Grade: D+
Masai Ujiri left for Toronto after the season, and Tim Connelly was hired as his replacement. Fun fact! Connelly went to the same high school as former Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony. Connelly did a good job in the season handling the Miller drama while bringing in Jan Vesely, a needed chemistry move. Still, Connelly couldn’t keep Iggy and couldn’t deal with the injuries, the team shouldn’t have dropped this far.
Overall Grade:
Real Grade: D+
Tank Grade: D
The Nuggets went from top of the class to the no man’s land. They weren’t good enough to make the playoffs, but also weren’t bad enough to land a top five pick. They lost several key aspects of their team identity, and never found their place with a variety of injuries, many to key players. They did a bad job overall which was worsened by playing in the (wild, wild) West. Their tanking- while unintentional- wasn’t bad enough for a good pick. Disappointment everywhere!
*Can’t resist Will Smith movie references
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
