5 things that went wrong for Denver Nuggets in the 2020-21 NBA season

#3 The Denver Nuggets lacked depth in the center position

Nikola Jokic has been the star of the show for the Denver Nuggets in the center position. Before JaVale McGee's introduction in January, the Nuggets did not have an elite replacement for Jokic.

Durability is one of Jokic's strongest features, which is why the center was able to feature in all 72 regular-season games for the Denver Nuggets, as well as all games in the postseason. Although his workload doubled due to the absence of Murray, he managed to stay productive consistently.

Monte Morris played his best game of the playoffs tonight as he scored 28 points on 7-18 shooting (4-9 3PT & 10-11 FT). He also added 5 assists without a turnover in 41 minutes.
— Cyclones in the NBA (@NbaCyclones) June 2, 2021

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While the Denver Nuggets lacked an elite rotation player at the five, it was also a problem in other positions. Aside from Monte Morris, who put in a good shift for the Nuggets all season long, not much production came from the Denver Nuggets bench.

#4 The Denver Nuggets' defense was average

JaVale McGee #34 of the Denver Nuggets blocks a shot attempt by Cameron Payne #15 of the Phoenix Suns

The Denver Nuggets were not one of the worst defensive teams of the 2020-21 NBA season. However, they were not ranked among the best either.

Although their offense was one of the most lethal in the league, the defense was not as impressive. The Denver Nuggets finished the 2020-21 regular season ranked 12th in defensive rating (112.1).

Some Denver Nuggets defense for a change pic.twitter.com/05uyVoObYR
— Denver Stiffs (@denverstiffs) April 11, 2021

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Surprisingly, Nikola Jokic had the worst defensive rating for the Denver Nuggets, with a 109.3 rating. Morris, who is a bench player, has the best defensive rating (115.3), followed closely by Will Barton. Though the ratings don't make for great reading, they managed to limit opposition scoring to 110.1 points per game.

#5 The Denver Nuggets fans were unhappy with the owner

Phoenix Suns fans gather to applaud Chris Paul #3 of the Phoenix Suns after a win over the Denver Nuggets in Game Four of the Western Conference second-round playoff series at Ball Arena

The Denver Nuggets did not enjoy the thrill of home-court advantage in the 2021 NBA playoffs. Several fans were upset with how the owner managed things during the 2020-21 season. Nuggets president Josh Kroenke was booed before tip-off in Game 3 when he took to the court to present Nikola Jokic with his MVP award.

Although several factors could have led to that incident, the most likely reason is the local television situation. Fans were unable to watch Game 3 of the Denver Nuggets' first-round tie on regional sports networks due to an ongoing dispute between Altitude and Comcast. Both parties have failed to resolve their issues since 2019, which has resulted in occasional blackouts during the season.

The franchise also sold more tickets to Phoenix Suns fans in Game 4 as Nuggets fans barely showed up. Chris Paul stated in his postgame interview that it felt like a home game when they stepped out for warmups.

With fans unavailable to cheer their team to at least one victory in the conference semi-finals, the Phoenix Suns unleased the broom against the Denver Nuggets.