Depth Will Be Key For The Denver Nuggets In 2014-15′

DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 01 : Danilo Gallinari of Denver Nuggets (8) is in the team practice. The Denver Nuggets take the court for their first official practice under new coach Brian Shaw at Pepsi Center. Denver, Colorado. October 1, 2013. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

After a year full of season-ending injuries and a key player (Danilo Gallinari) not seeing the floor at all, the Denver Nuggets looked primed and ready to shock the National Basketball League world. A year removed from 57 wins, Denver tumbled towards the bottom of the Northwest Division standings, finishing with a record of 36-46 under first-year head coach Brian Shaw. This year will be different, as Denver expects to get back a healthy Gallo as well as the re-acquisition of Arron Afflalo.

Denver has always been known for their lack of star power, but this season, their depth will play a huge part in their success. Before the NBA Draft, Denver shipped guard Evan Fournier and the 56th overall pick (Roy Devyn Marble) to the Orlando Magic in exchange for former Nugget Arron Afflalo. Afflalo not only gives Denver a defensive-minded player, but he also gives the team a prime scoring option to go along with an above-average free-throw shooter (which Denver struggles at).

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The acquisition of Afflalo creates a battle at the shooting guard position for minutes. Last season, Randy Foye manned the starting gig, doing a pretty solid job at that. The 31-year-old from Newark, New Jersey, averaged 13.2 points per game on 41.3% percent shooting, including 38.0% percent from deep. One thing is for sure, Foye and Afflalo will create a solid one-two punch at the shooting guard position.

Shortly after, the Denver Nuggets traded the 11th overall selection in the draft (Doug McDermott) to the Chicago Bulls for their 16th and 19th overall selections, which turned out to be center Jusuf Nurkic and guard Gary Harris. Nurkic will for sure be a work in progress but Harris presents the option of making an immediate impact — though it may be hard to find the rookie minutes right away with Arron Afflalo, Randy Foye, Ty Lawson, and Nate Robinson in the lineup.

Looking at the small forward position, having a healthy Danilo Gallinari to go along with Wilson Chandler is another solid one-two punch. Prior to Gallo tearing his ACL in April of 2012, he was the teams leading scorer until Ty Lawson became the main option. Gallo averaged 16.2 points per game on 41.8% percent shooting, knocking down 37.3% percent from beyond-the-arc. Brian Shaw recently stated that Gallo might start the season behind Chandler on the depth chart.

Don’t forget about Quincy Miller as well. Though he had his struggles during his sophomore campaign, the former Baylor Bear is just 21-years old. With injuries to Gallo and Chandler last season, Miller went on to play 52 games, starting in 16 of them. He averaged 4.9 points on 36.7% percent shooting.

The power forward position may be one of the most intriguing and deep positions for the Nuggets. Kenneth Faried exploded in the FIBA World Cup, hoping to translate that same success to the NBA level. J.J. Hickson and Darrell Arthur back up the “Manimal” but Hickson will start the year out with a five-game suspension, giving Arthur an increased role early on. Hickson was a pleasant surprise at times for the Nuggets, leading the team in rebounds with 9.2 per game. Unfortunately for him, he tore his ACL on March 21st against the Dallas Mavericks, cutting his season short.

Arthur provides a balance at the power forward position with his ability to stretch the floor. His game is more suitable for a pick-and-roll, or pick-and-pop if you will. Arthur shot 39.5% percent from the field last season, including 37.5% percent from deep which grabbed the eyes of many.

The center position is one to keep an eye on. Timofey Mozgov came in and shined given the chance with JaVale McGee out for the season. Mozzy finished the season averaging 9.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. However, during the month of April, he finished strong. In eight games, he averaged 15.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks. Not to mention, a game against the Golden State Warriors where the 7-foot-1 center added 23 points, including 29 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks.

McGee is in an interesting position, where he will have to prove to the team he is indeed worth the contract extension he received a couple years back. In the five games he played last season, McGee averaged 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks.

Last but not least, the point guard position led by Ty Lawson. Lawson put up all-star numbers last season, averaging 17.6 points, 8.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. One thing Brian Shaw would like to see more out of his star point guard is leadership, which back-up Nate Robinson provides. Like Hickson and McGee, Robinson’s season was cut short due to a torn ACL which he suffered January 29th against the Charlotte Bobcats.

Robinson was a key piece of the bench for the Nuggets, averaging 10.4 points on 42.8% percent shooting, including 2.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds. The electric point guard also shot 83.5% percent from the charity stripe, including 37.7% percent from three.

In conclusion, this Denver Nuggets team will have to rely on depth throughout the season. Last season, the injury bug hit hard, leaving the team with mainly second and third string players starting. Personally, I believe this is one of the deepest Nuggets teams we have seen. Time will tell with how good they actually are, but if you’re a Denver Nugget fan, you have to be excited.