The Denver Nuggets have won eight of their last 11 games.
That may not seem like a crazy number for a team with championship aspirations, but it’s a big step in the direction the Nuggets are hoping to go. They have a 19-13 record now, so do the math...Denver was 11-10 before their most recent stretch of positive play. The final loss before this streak? A torturous loss to the Washington Wizards.
It was at about that time that league circles began hearing about Denver’s calls to other teams, citing desperation and the need to do something, to not waste Nikola Jokic and his prime years. The Zach LaVine rumors, along with other names, began to surface in the following week.
And yet, the Nuggets were probably never going to make a serious move like that while operating at a disadvantage. At least, unless things got real grim. Instead, the Nuggets have pulled out of their malaise and are starting to play better basketball.
Key to their bounce back has been Russell Westbrook. Over the last 11 games, Westbrook is averaging 13.7 points, 7.5 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game, shooting an absurd 57.3% from the field. Yes, he’s only shooting 23% from three in the same stretch. Yes, he’s shooting 63% from the line. It just doesn’t matter as much when he’s maintaining such a high two-point percentage as a point guard.
Perhaps more important than all of those numbers is Westbrook’s plus-minus. He has a positive plus-minus in 10 of the last 11 games, the only negative mark coming against the 29-4 Cleveland Cavaliers. Yes, Westbrook is benefiting from playing with Jokic more, but he’s perhaps elevating Jokic to higher levels too.
When Westbrook and Jokic share the floor this season, the Nuggets have a +10.6 Net Rating. That’s comparable to Jokic and Jamal Murray this year at +10.4.
But in the last 11 games, those numbers have skyrocketed. When Westbrook and Jokic are on the floor together, the Nuggets maintain a +20.1 Net Rating, which includes a 130.9 Offensive Rating.
The fit between those two is getting better, and while the Nuggets have of course benefited from some weaker competition in this stretch, they’re still finding new things they can trust every game.
At 19-13, the Nuggets are currently fourth in the Western Conference. Whether they stay at that level, rise, or fall is anyone’s guess, but the immediate pressure to pull a panic trade has clearly subsided. If the Nuggets continue to improve, perhaps they can begin operating from a position of strength closer to the trade deadline and make a favorable move that wasn’t available to them before.
Whatever the case, the Nuggets appear to have stabilized things, in no small part due to Russell Westbrook and his assimilation into the Nuggets.
