It has been relatively easy to make excuses for just about everything that has gone wrong for the Nuggets this season. Sure, there have been red flags, areas of concern, and reasons to think changes are needed. But still, the team would show just enough to offer hope and belief.
Even in some of their worst losses, positive-minded fans could say that it was just a bad night, that players were out of the lineup, or adjusting to playing together. Overall, things seemed to be generally trending in the right direction.
But what happened on Saturday night is inexcusable. Facing enough scrutiny already, the Nuggets traveled to the nation’s capital to face the 2-18 Washington Wizards who were in the midst of a 16-game losing streak.
And yet, Denver looked completely overmatched and unable to stop the Wizards at all. The defensive showing was truly pathetic and there was no intensity or aggression at all. Allowing the Wizards to do whatever they wanted was tough to watch.
In theory, this game should have been an opportunity for bench players to get in a rhythm; a get-right spot if ever there was one for a struggling team. Instead, the team’s flaws looked even worse than ever. The 3-point shooting was atrocious; they attempted just 24 and made just 5. Those numbers are completely unacceptable.
Perhaps the most embarrassing part of this loss? The fact that Nikola Jokic had the best scoring game of his career, putting up 56 points along with 16 rebounds and 8 assists. The one thing about the Nuggets that we know is good was excellent, and everything else that we question was completely awful.
For starters, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon didn’t play in this game, managing injuries and rest - but that is no excuse. The team needs all hands on deck for every game at this point and they got no-shows up and down the board.
Jalen Pickett, Hunter Tyson, and DeAndre Jordan further emphasized the notion that they are completely unplayable. Michael Porter Jr., who is supposed to be the number two option on offense, scored just 11 points and didn’t hit a three. Peyton Watson was basically invisible on the offensive end. And on and on it goes.
There’s really not much to even say at this point; the Nuggets are not a good basketball team. They have one incredible player; the best player in the world, in fact. But every other element of this team needs a lot of work. They need better players, better coaching, and better effort.
Some of these things are fixable, and some of them are not. But changes need to be made quickly or this season is going to slip away. Let’s hope that this is rock bottom, a time to hit the panic button, look around, and take some accountability. It can’t get worse than this.