Five Reasons To Be Excited For The 2014-15′ Denver Nuggets

Sep 29, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov (25) poses for a portrait during media day at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

5. The Emergence of Timofey Mozgov

Javale McGee played in just five games last season, and that was one of the injuries that cost the Nuggets their 2013-14 season. That being said, if there was anything positive that the Nuggets got out of McGee’s injury, it was the emergence of Timofey Mozgov.

Look at Mozgov’s year-to-year improvement:

If there was a negative in Mozgov’s season last year, it was taking 24 three-point shots, because he converted on just four of them, or 16.7%. Other than that, Mozgov had career-highs in almost all categories.

The career-high stats were just the tip of the iceberg for the 28-year old Russian. Mozgov emerged as a defensive anchor and rim protector in last season. As reported by BasketballInsiders.com on September 12, 2014:

"“As a backup for the majority of the season, Mozgov has proven to be a very good rim protector off of the bench. Playing in just 21 minutes per game last season, Mozgov averaged 1.22 blocks a game, or 2.71 per 48 minutes. As pointed out by Denver Stiffs, Mozgov was 10th-best in limiting opponents’ field goal percentage at the rim at 45.2 percent through the first-half of last season, which puts him in the same company as Roy Hibbert, Serge Ibaka and Joakim Noah, among others. Perhaps one of the biggest indicators of Mozgov’s defense are the splits when he is on the court versus off of the court. When Mozgov is playing, opponents’ field goal percentage within three feet of the rim is 55 percent versus 65 percent when he is off of the court.”"

According to BasketballReference.com, opponents’ offensive rating was 106.2 points per game with Mozgov on the floor, while it rose to 109.6 when he was off the court. The difference of 3.4 points per game is more than Denver’s own differential between their offensive rating and defensive rating, which was just 2.1 points.

With McGee returning, the two headed monster at center is another reason why this season should be exciting for the Nuggets.

These are just five of the reasons why the 2014-15 season is going to be one to watch out for in Denver. The NBA season starts on October 28, 2014, and we’re just as excited as the Nuggets are!