The Nuggets' defensive woes this season have been as clear as day. Sitting at 22nd in defensive rating and allowing 116.1 points per game, there's a glaring issue in their rotation that's been leading to some nail-biting finishes.
Enter Jonas Valanciunas, who’s stepping in for Nikola Jokic for about 14.5 minutes per game over 45 appearances. While he's putting up 9 points and 5.2 rebounds, his defensive rating is a concerning 118.3. Only Jamal Murray fares worse with a 118.4, but Murray compensates with an impressive offensive rating of 124.5, resulting in a solid net rating of 6.1.
Valanciunas, on the other hand, is struggling with a net rating of -3, the lowest among those regularly rotated by head coach David Adelman. With Jokic boasting a net rating of 12.2, the Nuggets find themselves 15 points worse per 100 possessions when Valanciunas steps in. That's a significant drop-off.
Looking at Box Plus/Minus, Valanciunas is at -1.1, while Jokic, the perennial leader in this stat, continues to dominate with a 15.0, marking his best career performance.
Even in the Nuggets' historic 157-103 win over the Blazers, where they set a record with a 54-point margin, Valanciunas somehow ended with a negative plus/minus of -1. Meanwhile, Julian Strawther tied a franchise record with a +48, and Jokic, Christian Braun, and Jamal Murray all posted impressive numbers.
In nearly 12 minutes of play, the Blazers managed to outscore the Nuggets with Valanciunas on the court. This isn't just a one-off; it's a recurring theme that the stats back up.
The challenge for Coach Adelman and his team is clear: they need a strategy to address this defensive gap. The pattern of gaining leads with Jokic only to lose them with Valanciunas can't continue if the Nuggets want to avoid digging themselves into holes they've had to climb out of all season.