big honey and the nuggets

it's a long season

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-basketball/id1428290303?i=1000591786808

enjoyed this deep dive into jokic, one mind blowing stat is that this year the nuggets have 11 fewer assists per 100 possessions with jokic on the bench, which I guess is the best of all time, other leaders on the list are like peak nash lebron curry etc seasons

I think there’s a reasonable chance that in terms of impact on wins and losses jokic is significantly better than his basic numbers indicate, might be even better than being a 2 time MVP might suggest, just my thoughts

Feel like you could say that for the handful of mvp level dudes in the league but I get your point.

thats why everyone wants the big dogs

theres also a thing where denvers roster just really doesnt work without him in there

Very random but I can't stop thinking about how the other night Nikola Jokic jumped to try to create space between him and Bam Adebayo.

No fake pass from Jamal Murray or anything. Just jumped to try to trick Bam, then ran to the ball.

Gonna call this the "Joker jump." pic.twitter.com/PJ2nttyCHm

— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) January 4, 2023

ha got em

him and kornet should start a cheerleading school

Bruce Brown, last 2 seasons...

31-for-57 (54.4%) from the right corner.
12-for-59 (20.3%) from the left corner.https://t.co/ejDRStYnU9https://t.co/2YxCnuFdcJ

— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) January 7, 2023

gonna use this as a nuggets thread

faked me out in slomo while i was expecting something crazy

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS JOKIC pic.twitter.com/aWNRj59h51

— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) January 10, 2023

Love those kinda slow mo 360 dribble moves, luka does does a lot

yeah good for husky boys who can give a lil bump at the end of the spin and get their shoulders by

14-11-16-1-1 tonight. ON 5 SHOTS (5-5 fg, 1-1 3p, 3-3 ft)

what on earth lol

that’s truly silly it is making me laugh thinking about it

I missed 95% of the game due to a flight but it’s a sort of line Ive seen plenty of times from jokic (ok, the perfect shooting triple double is only something he’s done once). it’s a thing he does when he doesn’t respect the opponent in my viewing experience

also does anyone know if anyone keeps stats on opening tips? jokic has to be bottom 10% at that, seems like I never see him win one lol

alright maybe I’m way off base because according to “degendata.com” the nuggets win 70% of their tips?

https://www.degendata.com/games/20230109

Nuggs vibe check

“This is the best locker room I have been a part of.”

-Bruce Brown on the Nuggets roster. He said they spend off nights together, play Call of Duty and other stuff.

— T.J. McBride (@TJMcBrideNBA) January 10, 2023

Nugs vibes seem good but let’s not forget that Bruce Brown’s previous NBA locker room experiences are the Pistons and Nets

haha yes

true lol

wow this locker room is great theres no kyrie or james harden in it

i now realize that was a bad post i apologize

lol it does seem like the vibes are good tho

I think having a chill guy like jokic who is also a world-beater leading the team is a formula for good vibes. his teammates legit revere him

its true saw a bones interview where he seemed legit amazed at jokers humility, like it was something he hadnt even considered possible

yeah I watch a lot of local segments they show on the league pass streams and it’s a borderline cult

you are in a cult kev seek help

I seek help from jokic only he will save me

lmao

joks bruv

two biyombo pick and roll finishes to start out, nice

the torrey craig redemption show part 2

The best 1:42 you will spend today 😂 pic.twitter.com/NcTSjiSin0

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 14, 2023

Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe are such Nikola Jokic fans/supporters/believers.

They can’t help themselves when talking about Nikola, they are like little kids on Christmas morning when they talk Jokic.

Love it. @Adam_Mares @HarrisonWind @DLineCo @BrendanVogt #Nuggets pic.twitter.com/jqZxs5mn5M

— JB Denver Sports (@JB_DenverSports) January 14, 2023

No cap like I am wearing no hat

8-6-5-1 in 10 mins of the first quarter

JOKIC. BANGARANG!https://t.co/UuwxYJmnXx pic.twitter.com/qM43q7xXBd

— Wobkola Jokić (@WorldWideWob) January 16, 2023

big shot big honey

he's somehow so chill

just don’t dunk on him

Nikola said he told Bol after the game: "If you dunk one more time on me, I'm gonna F him (up)."

— Mike Singer (@msinger) January 16, 2023

Great pass, comical shot pic.twitter.com/2jQntQmEVa

— Taco Trey Kerby (@treykerby) January 18, 2023

lowe:

With the Orlando Magic, Gordon was miscast as a wing. Orlando was overstocked with bigs. Gordon had ambitions of LeBron James-style ball dominance. Over several roster mutations, none of it worked. Across the league -- even within Orlando -- insiders wondered: Why couldn't Gordon access his inner Draymond Green? He could be the superstar role player every good team needs!

How wonderful when experience and luck put someone in the right place to fulfill their destiny at the moment they are ready to accept it. Gordon is the perfect support player for Nikola Jokic, and he's enjoying a career season: 16.5 points, 7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 59% shooting -- 37.6% on 3s, and 65% on 2s.

As a leaper with size and anticipation, Gordon is an ideal target for Jokic -- on cuts, and leaking out in transition. But Gordon is doing so much more than dining on Jokic's passing genius.

He's been vicious as a post-up scorer, and defenses are starting to send help -- even when Gordon doesn't have a size mismatch. Denver's trusting Gordon to make the right plays:

He still gets to run some pick-and-roll, and has great chemistry with Jokic. The Nuggets have averaged 1.33 points when Gordon shoots out of the pick-and-roll or dishes to a teammate who fires -- No. 1 (!) among almost 200 ball handlers who have run at least 75 such plays, per Second Spectrum.

Gordon's supplementary passing has been a big boost. He's heaving accurate outlets, leading fast breaks, and pinging smart extra passes around the perimeter. The Nuggets have sets for Gordon to facilitate from the elbows. What are you supposed to do here -- with Gordon holding the ball at the right elbow, Jokic setting a down screen for Bruce Brown at the left elbow, and ace shooters in each corner?

On defense, Gordon can guard all five positions. His pinpoint rotations and shot-blocking are essential in Denver's demanding scheme.

Gordon has a real All-Star case.

jamal is doing his best jokic impression: has 12-9-9-2 3 mins into the 3rd quarter. would be his first career triple double

*taps the sign*

jesus christ this nuggets game is a religious experience

30 assists for the team through 3 quarters with jokic not playing. 38 point third quarter

season high 15 dunks

nikola jokic is a system player

if zach already makes $10m more, i think if you added a second guy's contract, it would have to be pretty small not to invalidate the deal

the nuggets can have a second guy as a treat

nuggets are “aproned” so they can’t take more salary back, would possibly need a third team in certain 2 for 1 or 3 for 2 scenarios.

I just got home and missed the game tonight but the nuggets have apparently lost to the blazers of the portland trail. not great

we beat the 5-26 pelicans in overtime pic.twitter.com/Xpob33zN3i

— Bobby (@BobbyMlRE) December 23, 2024

if you have tears, prepare to shed them now

I think Hunter Tyson's former Clemson teammate PJ Hall enjoyed that one a little bit. https://t.co/FSk1P9gBNx

— Vinny Benedetto (@VBenedetto) December 24, 2024

the booth boys are evolving

pic.twitter.com/lKuAVRXSJu

— ‎Guin (@yoitsguin) January 13, 2025

Love it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfwxo92oByc

video on the jokic-westbrook connection

don’t want to clog up the main thread too much, but the nuggets offense is really humming right now. they’ve won 7 straight mostly against weaker competition, but they’ve taken care of business and jokic has sat out a lot of 4th quarters.

christian braun is evolving some off the dribble moves and is already the best transition player in the league aside from giannis. has been an amazing release valve for this offense and his finishing is genuinely a revelation. didn’t think this kind of touch around the rim would come for a few years if at all. MPJ has missed the last couple with what is reportedly a very precautionary hammy tightness but is playing possibly the best basketball of his life, at least since 2021. jamal is rounding into form too

most encouraging is the non-jokic minutes are no longer hemorrhaging points. some of that has to do with the staggered lineups they’ve been using with a couple of players in and out of the injury report, but jalen pickett being a consistent contributor has been huge too. I think he might be too small to contribute in the playoffs this year, but he’s a low-mistake player who plays hard on D and is a great passer and can hit shots. we’ll see if he sticks in the rotation when russ comes back but if he can give 10-12 minutes a night, it would really take some stress off the main guys who have played a ton of minutes. strawther is NOT a low-mistake player but can really shoot, and one of those two guys is probably going to be needed for spot minutes in the playoffs. even zeke nnaji is giving some useful minutes.

and jokic is on a huge shooting heater right now. he’s made 32 of his last 41 field goal attempts, and that includes a heave two games ago and 3 semi-rushed three-pointers in the last 30 seconds of the game last night when he was trying to get a 2 for 1. in the 23 games since christmas he’s averaging 28.9-12.5-11.3-2.0 with just 2.6 turnovers on .592/.408/.850 shooting in just 34 minutes a game.

denver is up to 2nd in offense, 5th overall in schedule-adjusted net rating, and a game behind memphis for 2nd best record in the west. I am pretty sure they’ve never won 10 straight in the jokic era, but they’ve got the blazers again tomorrow, then charlotte right after the ASB before the schedule gets tougher and hopefully they should have their full team

jokic has attempted a hilarious 15 heaves this year and if you take those out (including the one he made), he’s shooting 49.0% on threes this year

his 3p percentage might be the story of the year just insane

the other thing about the nuggets I should mention is they’re such an anomaly in the way they score. they’re last in three point rate by a laughable margin, but are second in efg% and ts%, because they’re great in transition and get to the line a ton (both huge changes from last year). last night they had 88 points in the paint and tied an NBA record shooting 77.8% on 2s. (they’re also tied for the all time record for assists per game.) on the one hand this is totally contrary to where the league has been heading…on the other hand their ability to figure out a defense and score in the paint might translate to the offs

feel like good halfcourt offense usually carries over to the offs unless its based on something weird like julius randle hitting a bunch of tough shots or something, transition scoring on the other hand does tend to dry up

weirdly shaky game from jokic*, but otherwise I have to say I’m so encouraged by how zeke nnaji’s played, to the point that I really think he can give the nuggets 10 good minutes in the playoffs. he’s been amazing defensively, and even has shown some good signs offensively without jokic on the court.

*actualy not surprising considering his bizarre splits where he plays better with fewer days rest

make this team make sense man

So to recap the last week for the Nuggets:
- Beat the Thunder in OKC
- Get Embarrassed by Minnesota in Denver
- Barely scrape by the South Bay Lakers while at full strength
- Lose to the Wizards at nearly full strength
- Beat the hottest team in the league without Jokic or Murray…

— Jack 🏹📋 (@murray_center27) March 18, 2025

I went back and watched the 30-20-20 game and my biggest surprise was that Aaron Gordon was 7/10 from 3 and they still had to win it OT

Real Madrid is considering signing Dario Saric this summer. Dario Saric is considering leaving the NBA and has been offered a deal. According to @webEncestando

— Luca D'Alessandro (@DAlessandro_LU) March 24, 2025

have to hand it to malone if his season-long benching of saric drives him to leave the country and off the nuggets’ books

lol

ant reax to jokic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IejFE7gzJaE

thought that was so cool

nba players know when the other guy is doing stuff nobody else on earth can do

that does for for this era of the nuggets I think. jokic and braun are the keepers, everything else is for sale. utter disaster

so, yeah.

damn that Jamal Murray knee injury, man

k3v - any idea who the "full of shit / coach is trippin" guys are on the nuggets?

I still need to go and listen to all the podcasts from yesterday. but from what I had understood over the course of this year, guys like pickett and strawther (booth’s draft picks along with tyson, braun and watson), plus nnaji who booth extended a couple seasons ago, had rocky relationships with malone. but honestly, other than maybe gordon and watson, who’s known to be a good studier, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that applied to anyone on the squad. plenty of poor effort and execution to go around

from law murray on twitter

Final tally for a Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokić 5-man lineup that we might not see again

Nuggets were +34 when that group was together in 142 minutes vs Thunder

Nuggets were -98 in all other lineups vs Thunder in semifinals.

Brutal

I understand why they limited AG’s minutes in game 7 because he was limping up and down the court (despite playing pretty well), but I thought adelman played the bench too much. I get there is a balance you have to strike, but they blew lead after lead

genuinely heroic effort from AG tonight

yeah, fuck michael malone for saying shai “showed why he’s the MVP”. ripping the band-aid off

have to say the reaction on twitter to that malone bit confirms my longstanding view of nuggets fans, the kinds of people who have been pining for years for reconciliation with carmelo, who couldn’t make it more clear he couldn’t care less about the franchise. a really down bad group of people who clearly have daddy issues

like I have defintely had my issues with malone over the years, you can prob just search ILH about that, but the thing I did like about him was his pugnaciousness, the loyalty to his guys. obviously being fired is rough on anyone but to say something like that for a buck, after q everything he’s said all year, tells me all I need to know. george karl reigns supreme

his valanciunas shit is driving me insane

he's got a year left on his deal at $5m, panathinaikos offers €12m, he's like cool i will void my contract to leave america, seems smart

it’s ten million!

sorry, yeah. still worth it.

I don’t see why the nuggets don’t just say they’re happy for him he wants to play somewhere else, but he’s under contract. doesnt the NBA have agreements with these leagues about this kind of thing?

Seems like bad team management to try to force a player to play for you who's clearly decided it's better to jump ship to another country and play for a team in another league. Bad for the team vibes to have someone in the locker room who feels mistreated and unhappy about playing there.

he's just trying to get an extension from them right?

in which case the play isn't to hold him to his contract and say "nuts to you", but give him the extension or else let him walk.

why would they want to do that

shams

Denver has informed Jonas Valanciunas' reps that the franchise fully intends to have him honor his contract as the Nuggets view Valanciunas as a critical center addition to back up Nikola Jokic and play alongside him. Greek team Panathinaikos pursued Valanciunas in recent days.

reading between the lines, I take it that denver wasn’t able to get horford, in which case this is the right play. not enough quality bigs left for the kroenkes to do a 10 million dollar solid to a guy under contract