The Denver Nuggets’ internal angst was on display in opening-night loss to Thunder

DENVER — By the point the Denver Nuggets locker room was opened to the media on Thursday evening, Jamal Murray was gone.

There was no likelihood to ask him about his 4-of-13 taking pictures evening within the Nuggets’ 102-87 loss to Oklahoma Metropolis, or the assertion from his coach, Michael Malone, that the pairing of Murray and newcomer Russell Westbrook had all types of potential to be productive. By no means thoughts that Westbrook had simply completed a 2-of-10 night from the sector through which he wasted no time dwelling as much as his repute as a traditionally unhealthy shooter who, nonetheless, simply retains firing away.

His air-balled 3 on the 3:45 mark of the primary quarter — with no defender inside 5 ft, no much less — was as inauspicious a starting to this pairing as one might presumably think about on this evening through which he missed 5 of six makes an attempt from past the arc. By the tip, with the Thunder outclassing the Nuggets all through and Denver lacking 31 of 38 3s in all, probably the most disconcerting second of fact for Denver got here from crucial man within the Ball Enviornment constructing, Nikola Jokić.

“We aren’t an excellent taking pictures staff, I feel, besides most likely (Michael Porter Jr.) and Jamal (Murray),” stated Jokiċ, who had a triple-double (16 factors, 13 assists and 12 rebounds) and hit 6 of 12 pictures (1-of-3 from 3). “All of us are sort of streaky. Not streaky, you recognize, however simply common shooters.”

On this Nuggets atmosphere the place the longstanding stress between Malone and Nuggets basic supervisor Calvin Sales space is the worst-kept secret within the Affiliation as of late, it was fairly a factor for Jokić to determine to say the quiet half out loud like that. That’s an unflattering assertion in regards to the staff’s personnel, which inevitably factors the finger on the entrance workplace throughout a time when Sales space and his employees are attempting their greatest to encourage synergy from high to backside as a approach to return these Nuggets to title contender standing.

However make no mistake, the not-so-subtle references to the adjustments which have taken place since Denver’s title in 2023 are a mirrored image of the interior angst that these Nuggets are attempting to navigate. Within the curiosity of equity, it needs to be remembered that the Kroenke household who owns the staff is making the entire closing monetary choices with this group. And Malone’s curious postgame choice to remind the lots that Denver misplaced Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Orlando in free company, for instance, was nearly as good an indication as any that the Nuggets are struggling to maximise their current whereas reconciling their previous.

“I don’t assume there’s any want for panic,” Malone stated. “Going into the season, taking pictures is a priority of mine. You already know, you lose a man like KCP, who was a 40 % 3-point shooter, you recognize what I imply? And I assumed Christian Braun was nice tonight. Once more, Christian Braun just isn’t going to be KCP, so I feel all of us have to grasp that, which I feel we do, and embrace CB for who he’s. I assumed he performed actually good protection, competed, ran the ground. …No, there’s no panic.”

Nope, nothing to see right here in any respect. It’s only a robust begin to a season that resumes towards Westbrook’s previous LA Clippers staff on Saturday at dwelling. The necessity to win that sport, and quell all this uncomfortableness within the course of, is about as nice because it will get for this time of yr.

The Shai and Chet Present

After all Thunder coach Mark Daigneault watched the Olympic semifinal through which Jokić’s Serbian staff practically shocked Staff USA within the Olympics. Everybody within the basketball group was glued to their televisions for that sport (and a few of us have been fortunate sufficient to witness it in particular person).

However once I requested Daigneault about Jokić’s greatness at shootaround on Thursday morning, whereas noting how the Thunder have an MVP-caliber participant of their very own in Shai-Gilgeous Alexander who definitely held his personal within the Video games, his response about Oklahoma Metropolis’s celebrity stock was fairly telling.

“We would have multiple,” he stated.

Howdy, Chet Holmgren.

The second-year huge man had about as spectacular an opener as anybody might think about, ending with 25 factors (11-of-18 taking pictures), 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks and two steals. Contemplating the context right here, how the 22-year-old needed to sit out his rookie season due to the Lisfranc damage in his proper foot, it’s fairly exceptional {that a} coach of Daigneault’s reputation is so prepared to boost the notion that Holmgren is perhaps as a lot of a franchise centerpiece as Gilgeous-Alexander. However judging by the Thunder’s debut — this one-sided rout through which Gilgeous-Alexander completed with 28 factors, eight assists and 7 rebounds — the excessive reward is warranted.

Holmgren, and the Thunder by proxy, are very a lot for actual.

GO DEEPER

Why Alex Caruso’s mindset, Chet Holmgren’s sturdiness make these Thunder completely different

Previous is prologue for OKC-Denver 

It’s so cliche to say the West is wild. However as so lots of my colleagues chronicled just lately, parity is the brand new manner of the NBA.

Inside that, there’s the undeniable fact that no staff within the West ought to really feel secure. The Thunder are the heavy front-runners, to make sure, however Daigneault detailed why the notion of overlooking the Nuggets — or anybody else, for that matter — is a idiot’s errand.

“Our job as a staff is for the entire to be higher than the sum of the elements,” stated Daigneault, whose Thunder beat the Nuggets 3 times in 4 tries final season. “And that may typically work in bizarre methods. You’ll be able to look down on paper and say, nicely, they misplaced this man. They didn’t exchange it with x, y or z. However all that issues in a staff is that the entire is bigger than the sum. And there’s been nice examples of groups which have performed that nicely.

“I assumed we have been a staff that did that very nicely final yr. I assumed we have been higher as a result of we have been collective than we have been with the person elements. And that’s (the Nuggets’) problem. It’s our problem, and it’s 28 different groups’ problem. However we definitely don’t take them flippantly, as a result of they’ve continuity on the high of the roster. They actually have a system that they know the right way to play to and can come to play. In addition they are hungry proper now. I feel you will get a way from them, simply from listening to them and watching them from a distance, that there’s a starvation coming off of the championship final season, (and) with how the season went and the way it ended, and a starvation particular to us.”

All true statements by Daigneault, to make sure. However the Thunder, in the long run, have been those who would do the effective eating.

(Picture of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Pictures)