Most people, barring hardcore fans and extreme NBA nerds, would struggle to name any Denver Nuggets players, except perhaps Kenneth Faried, Ty Lawson, Andre Miller and the off-season signing of journeyman Nate Robinson.
Even then, with no disrespect, those players are not what one would consider to be household names, or expect to see their jerseys worn by kids at pick-up games.
Gone are the days of Mutumbo, English, Camby and Melo, but I have to admire the grit and determination of this season’s Nuggets.
At the time of writing they sit ninth in the superior Western Conference, just missing out on the playoffs, and third in the north-west division behind only the talent-laden Thunder and streaking Trailblazers.
Yet they are ahead of teams with ‘stars’, sitting above K.Love and Rubio’s T-wolves and Marc Gasol’s Grizzlies, who made it all the way to the last season’s Western Conference final before being swept by the Spurs.
This season’s Denver Nuggets may just be the most underrated team in the NBA. Their record is currently better than 12 teams in the Eastern Conference, including four of the top eight who are currently poised to make the post-season in the Wizards, Bulls, Pistons and Knicks.
Yet as it stands, the Nuggets have no players who lead the top 20 in efficiency rating for the entire league.
Is it because they play team-oriented basketball? Have a distinct home court advantage in mile high city? Or are teams underestimating their ability to grind out wins?
No one grinds it out and competes more than Nate Robinson, which was a solid pick-up for the Nuggets.
In fact, the only prominent stats contender the Nuggets have is Ty Lawson, sitting third in the assist category with an average of 8.6 per game.
But their ‘grind it out’ attitude has them sitting third in the team blocks category and fourth in rebounds per game.
Whatever the reasons, it’s good to see a team with no apparent ‘star power’ do so well and compete in the tough Western Conference. Given the average age of Denver’s roster is 23, they should only get better with game experience.
And with this season’s appointment of Brian Shaw, who holds five NBA championships (two as assistant coach to Phil Jackson at the Lakers and three as a Lakers player) and the knowledge and experience of what it takes to win, the current group of Nuggets should have a promising future ahead of them.
I’m not saying they are the next Miami Heat, nor will they have a dynasty, but with they way they play the game I do expect the Nuggets to be legitimate Western Conference contenders in the next two to four seasons.
Still, it must be acknowledged that the jump from being a contender to elite is vast and trades will be needed to upgrade the Nuggets roster in order for it to be of championship calibre.
But that is a discussion for another time.
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