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The offensive potential of the Denver Nuggets is beyond doubt, but the coaching staff and squad want to be able to act with the same force on the other side of the court. For this they have put into practice a curious procedure that motivates and amplifies the defensive effort.
According to information from journalist Chris Dempsey, coach Michael Malone has released a challenge chain named as ‘The Defensive Player of the Match’. The rules of the play are simple: the head coach Choose a specific player in each game to try to play a decisive role in the defensive section.
Will Barton was chosen for the game against the Phoenix Suns and Nikola Jokic took over two days later in the game against the San Antonio Spurs. While we can’t reduce success solely to this challenge, the truth is that the Nuggets were victorious in both games.
“We want to be a better team on defense,” said Malone. “So maybe having a defensive player every game will be able to motivate some guys.”
The sample is too small to draw clear conclusions, but the first results have not been long in coming: those from Colorado have settled as the eighth best defense with a defensive ratio of 95.6 points received for every hundred possessions. To put it in perspective, this figure increased to 111.5 points last year, although within a context marked by the pandemic.
We insist on the little quantitative depth of this data but if the Nuggets manage to maximize their defense they will emerge as a fearsome contender. Without a doubt, a good way to plan the campaign while the absence of Jamal Murray limits the team’s scoring.
(Cover photo by Jamie Schwaberow / Getty Images)
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