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The Denver Nuggets ended the 2020-21 NBA regular season brilliantly, given the circumstances of Jamal Murray's absence due to a knee injury. Nikola Jokic did lead the team to third seed in the Western Conference and past the first round of the postseason.
But even with the NBA MVP on the roster and an efficient scorer like Michael Porter Jr., Michael Malone's Denver Nuggets were swept by the NBA Finals-bound Phoenix Suns in the second round, it wasn't close at any point in the series.
Although the team put up a 47-25 record in the regular season and did not have Murray in the final stretch of that round, there are areas of concern for the Denver Nuggets that could carry on into the 2021-22 NBA season.
Three areas of concern for the Denver Nuggets heading into the 2021-22 NBA season
Having Aaron Gordon spend pre-season with the team and integrating himself better into the mix, as opposed to arriving midway through the season, is definitely good for the Denver Nuggets going forward.
However, there are different weaknesses that were exploited in last year's NBA Playoffs that have to be solved in the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season for the Nuggets to survive without Murray early in the season and even with him, if he's able to return.
Without further ado, let's take a look at three areas that have to be fixed in order for the Denver Nuggets to compete in the 2021-22 NBA season.
#3 Michael Porter Jr.'s defense
Michael Porter Jr. recently signed a five-year, max contract extension that could go up to $207 million. He deserves every bit of that contract, as his efficiency on offense can't simply be ignored, and he seems to be evolving by the dribble, even with some injury concerns.
But Porter Jr. does not have the gift of playing defense, or at least he has not shown that he can do it. Of course, it is early in to his NBA career as the 2021-22 campaign will only be his third in the league.
Most of his defensive struggles, however, seem to have come from a lack of focus, looking from the outside. He's shown in his first couple of seasons that he can use his athleticism and length in a good way on the defensive end, and that's a weakness of the past that can be solved for the Denver Nuggets heading towards the 2021-22 campaign.
His career Defensive Rating is at 111, and it was 112 last year, which was inline with what the team did as a whole, but he can certainly clean up some of the defensive lapses we've seen with certain consistency.
#2 Shot-blocking wasn't great last year, but is also unlikely that it will get better for the Denver Nuggets
The defensive end was not really an issue for the Denver Nuggets in the 2020-21 NBA regular season, as the team ranked 12th in the entire NBA in Defensive Rating, allowing 112.1 points per 100 possessions to the opposition.
However, the team's defense could really go to another level and even translate into the NBA Playoffs, mainly by fixing some issues, such as individual defense and rim protection.
With Nikola Jokic as the primary big man on the team and being the best player on the roster by far, there is a compromise. Jokic, one of the greatest offensive weapons in today's NBA, is not a great rim protector, even though he is not as bad as a defender as many could think.
While Jokic led the team in Defensive Rating, among the qualified players (those with 1,500 minutes played in the regular season), the team was not good at protecting the rim.
The Denver Nuggets ranked 18th in blocks per 100 possessions with 4.6 and 20th in blocks per game. Bol Bol's length (7' 2'') could be helpful if he works towards that area, but it does not look as if the Denver Nuggets will be denying many shots at the rim next year.
#1 The Denver Nuggets' perimeter play must step up without Jamal Murray
The Denver Nuggets' backcourt suffered in the 2021 NBA Playoffs without Jamal Murray. There's no other way to put it. It was obviously a tough job for a core constructed with Facundo Campazzo, Monte Morris and Austin Rivers and it is unfair to heavily criticize them heading into the 2021-22 NBA season, but is an area that has to be solved.
Of course, a backcourt with Chris Paul and Devin Booker, backed up by Cameron Payne, was tough to handle for any other backcourt in the league, especially one without its main player.
Defensively, it was difficult for Campazzo, Morris and Rivers to consistently create trouble for the Phoenix Suns' perimeter players in last year's NBA Playoffs, but that squad did beat Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum in the first round, which was a bit promising for the Denver Nuggets in the 2021-22 campaign.
Offensively, the Denver Nuggets' backcourt completes different tasks than others in the league, given how Nikola Jokic is the driving force of the offense both in the scoring department and in playmaking. Even with Jamal Murray playing, Jokic is the engine of the offense and the team works well with that.
However, there has to be improvement from the perimeter group without Murray, for the Denver Nuggets to remain an elite squad in the Western Conference next year.
Will Barton, who missed 16 regular-season games last year and played in only three NBA Playoffs games, could also be a good performer for the Denver Nuggets' wing in the 2021-22 season.
Morris stepped up offensively, providing nice scoring in the 2021 postseason with some good percentages from the field. He averaged 13 points per game in the postseason and made 40% of his three-pointers. Campazzo and Rivers averaged nine points per game each, making 39% and 41% of their threes.
But it wasn't enough, and the backcourt was clearly outplayed on the perimeter in last year's NBA Playoffs.
Starting off with the backcourt already set for the 2021-22 NBA season should definitely be beneficial for the Denver Nuggets as the team can find certain connections that could be sustained throughout the regular season.
Also read: "His ego never got in the way" - Michael Malone on Aaron Gordon's mindset upon joining the Denver Nuggets last season
Guess the Lakers players!
