Photo Courtesy: Dominic Ceraldi
It was a preseason game with a lot of implications of an old west shootout. I wanted to see the new look Denver Nuggets on the offensive end. I was impressed by the aggressive way they attacked the basket last night. Big minutes played by the starters kept the Mavs off balance. Final scored ended up Nuggets 96 – Mavericks 86.
Rookie PG Emmanuel Mudiay played 31 minutes in the win. His stats were 7/14 from the field, a rebound, 5 assists and ended up with 17 points. Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried and Gary Harris combined for 29 points. The bench added 36 points and played some very crucial minutes in the third and fourth quarters. On the defensive end the Nuggets held the Mavericks starters to 43 points combined but struggled to stop the Mavericks bench. Remember it’s the preseason and there are some growing pain with this Nuggets team. I can see the guys gelling and become a better team with trust from each man that wears the Nuggets uniform this season.
Leadership
The Nuggets need a proven veteran at the point guard position. Mudiay will be a good fit but he first has to learn to play at the NBA level. Not the running, jumping and passing. It’s learning the rules and how to out think the opposing point guards. The Western Division has heady leaders on the floor every night. On any given night Mudiay will be matched up against Chris Paul, Ty Lawson or Devin Harris. So he needs that veteran that can teach him how to control his emotions while competing against the best in the world.
Tangibles
Taking no plays off. Denver has no identity right now. Will they be a finesse team, a run and gun squad or a defense first team. Each team in the NBA has an identity. Over the past few years the Nuggets have been a team that struggled in every aspect of the game. It’s just the preseason and the guys have to find themselves a face, identity and guts to go 82 games this season. Let’s see how this turns out!
