‘This is DUKE ZION’ 🔥 – Brian Windhorst + Are the Nuggets EVEN BETTER than last year? 👀 | NBA Today

‘This is DUKE ZION’ 🔥 – Brian Windhorst + Are the Nuggets EVEN BETTER than last year? 👀 | NBA Today

The Nuggets they onpac to win four more games than they did last regular season which is pretty incredible because of course they went on to win it all that year they also have slightly better both offensive and defensive numbers than last year which is a little bit scary we

Haven’t seen repeat champions in the last five years but I really think that Denver is looking like the team that maybe could put all of that to rest but perk are this year’s nuggets are they better than last year’s championship team they are they are and and it’s

Because of the starting five and it’s the pieces around Jamal Murray and joic and it’s Michael Porter Jr over the last five games he’s averaging a dub and last night was a prime example of four quarter minutes right and he had those timely three-point shots this this dunk

At The Rim snatching the screws out the basket he finally looks healthy we have to remember when this kid was coming out of high school and when he was in college he was the number one player in the country it was just injuries that slowed him down but now we’re seeing him

More comfortable Michael Malone has more faith in him like he’s taking these these shots in the in the crucial moments of the game and it’s like soon as I thought Minnesota was going to run away with this game once they got the league I’m like no here come joic and

Here’ll come a little sprinker of Michael Porter J right but it’s still pretty incredible to think that that the that the Minnesota Timberwolves on the second night of a back to back were putting in that type of work against the defending champs because despite the losses we mentioned the wolves are still

Just a game out of first two more matchups to go against the Denver Nuggets left on the schedule you can look here Minnesota was short-handed of course last night the second night of a back toback still they were one shot away from sending this to overtime against the defending Champion so CH of

Any of the teams in the Western Conference do you think that Minnesota is the biggest threat to the Nuggets absolutely because they were built when healthy by Design to rival the nuggets and they have the ability I mean we’re talking about a night where they’re missing a number of Their Stars

But they still had heart and that heart came from Anthony Edwards and so to me this Timberwolves team I know the Clippers maybe if it was a month ago would say oh it’s absolutely the Los Angeles Clippers based off of their defensive prowess based off of the next

Steps that we have been witnessing with that guy right there the greatest showman currently in the NBA this is the team that I would be most worried about when fully healthy because their offense may not be perfect I believe car Anthony towns fully unlocks it especially as a

Stretch big but they’re long and they can compete with the best of the best we just saw that yesterday now the nuggets have always been the favorites for me I know they’ve been a little bit slow starting the season but we all knew that if they were able to continue what they

Had they would still be favorites but they’ve actually gotten better that’s the truth of the matter I mean Jamal Murray was coming off last season in injury season now he’s just completely comfortable and you nailed it perk Michael Porter Jr when I watched the Nuggets play in person he was the one

That blew me off the floor 610 able to shoot I mean it just feels like they have refined their weapons and they go with what they know and what they know is that they’re a team that can compete when they turn the lights on after All-Star break yeah I mean I I

Definitely think Denver is still the favorite in the west I think they are the best team in the NBA even with Boston’s record and what they put in the regular season I’ve seen Denver uh reach a different level when they get to the playoffs especially when they have

Adversity they have the the best player in the NBA plays on their team um that’s just the bottom line he’s the best player he’s the most efficient player and he’s a guy that dominates the game not just through scoring but using the assets around him I do love the

Emergence of Michael Porter Jr with that being said do I think they’re better than last year don’t I don’t think they’re I think the loss of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green is vastly underrated I love P watt he’s a young talented player I think he’s going to be big for them in

The future but I think Bruce Brown and Jeff Green they’re playing experience playoff experience guys who have played on playoff teams when it comes to playoffs it’s going to it’s going to hurt this is a team that got 13 bench points last night they don’t they don’t

Get a lot from the bench scoring Bruce Brown used to have 18 himself in playoff games Jeff Green would come in and have a huge impact I I love Michael Porter Jr’s health I love how he’s playing I love how he’s shooting the ball I’m happy that’s one of my best friends but

I don’t believe in terms of overall team I think there’s a little bit more vulnerability vulnerability to this team especially when we see last night case in point first off they just lost to Dallas and then we just lost we just saw them lost to a Minnesota Team without

They’re too bigs uh Minnesota has been built to compete against this team by the same guy who built Denver by the way Conley Tim connley so I think all in all I love Denver as a favor but they’re definitely more vulnerable this year and I think teams can compete Clippers included I know

They’re a mess right now but this this game actually showed their vulnerability a little bit because I actually think Minnesota probably walked away from this game not feeling so bad about itself no um they got trusted on the boards but because they were missing all their big

Sure this was a game all the way down to the last second on the second night of a back toback and they found some some schemes defensively that gave Denver a little bit of problem you know yoka had two assists in this game now they obviously stole shuttle over 50% they

Still won the game good job but but Denver has some some vulnerabilities another thing is just they’re rebounding Off the Bench they don’t have great size why you look so confused Kendrick because they’re V look they’re vulnerable on the road but they’re not vulnerable at home and right now the

Denver Nuggets especially with their record they’re looking like they’re going to have home court advantage throughout the postseason so if we’re talking about their lack of experience or lack of death for as their youth on the bench I’m not worried about that those guys are going to play better at

The crib and I said this at the beginning of the season I said it it would wise if the Western Conference if teams in the Western Conference would keep Denver nug the Denver Nuggets from having that number one seed that is going to matter they are an exceptional

Team at the crib sorry home playoff advantage through the west but the NBA Finals through Boston they season swept them they swept them Pelicans they were in the postseason two years ago but it was without Zion Williamson he he was injured in this one what are your expectations for him in his first

Playoff run so we’ve never seen Duke Zion in the NBA this is Duke Zion if you forgot because it’s been 5 years this guy made some plays at Duke that were absolutely jaw-dropping at both ends of the Court this is what has been happening here so I expect that he can

Be the Duke Zion again which meant he’s the best player on the floor in a high stakes game I believe he can be that if he continues to be this way and he stays healthy he’s never had the opportunity to show us what he can do when he’s this

Conditioned and when he’s in the postseason when you see him doing that and playing with that kind of confidence you honestly believe anything’s possible especially because they’re only a game back of the clippers for the forc they can do it especially if the Clippers don’t get their act together yeah I’m in

Complete agreeance uh this is what we want this is what we’ve been waiting for for Zion to play at this level to have that spring to have that pop in his in his jumping ability I haven’t seen him move like that since duke or really

Early on even his early on years he was a little bit heavy and he’s had issues with injury and you know amongst other things this is the first time it looks like he’s playing clear-headed drama-free basketball he looks light uh give him credit we we’ve all poked jokes

And said stuff about his weight but he’s gotten in the lab and and shed weight and now he’s in shape playing his best basketball that we have and listen if he’s playing like this there’s no reason that the Pelicans can’t go to the playoffs and cause him by the way just

Became a father too oh see that’s Dad’s superpowers right perk you were doing them dirty talking about we know he’s been but it’s okay you did him a little dirty but we we know it was a reverse compliment because Zion is from right now with the Pelicans you said you want

Some of that yeah I mean might as well at this point doing him dirty uh he’s from the Dirty South and he’s been doing his opponent’s dirty in the best ways possible just his ability to it’s the versatility for me like they can the reason why the Pelicans will be so

Potent is because they have length on the perimeter they play hard but most importantly Zion can play in different ways I’ve seen games where he’s Point Zion where he brings the ball up you see a pass right there I’ve seen games where they said hey go get on the Block and it

Doesn’t matter that you have a six 10 guy behind you or a seven footer you can still attract double teams and you can still pass that is a Duke that Brian’s talking about it wasn’t just his Sensational plays it was like oh wow this is a guy that can throw lobs in

Transition this is a guy that can throw dunks down like he is that unique hybrid and that’s going to give people problems because they say oh we we’ll Scout him this way but in the playoffs he’s like okay switch it up I’ll just go inside there seven and one in March it’s

Largely because of Zion Williamson we should point out that he’s played in 57 games this season after only playing in 29 combined combined over the last two years I think that they will take overtake the Clippers for fourth I would not be surprised at all with the way

That they have been playing if we see that shift happen here in the next couple of games they’ve been top 10 in offense they’ve been top 10 in defense all season long that is a recipe for a team to at least make some noise in the playoffs it’s going to be interesting

See that my sleepers to come out of the Western Conference come out of the Western Conference slow down perk they’re my sleepers sleepers we’re allowed to have sleepers yeah it’s that that will be your long shot team we get it He

Chiney Ogwumike, Brian Windhorst, Austin Rivers and Kendrick Perkins join Malika Andrews on NBA Today to debate if this season’s Denver Nuggets are even better than last year’s Championship Nuggets. They then discuss Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ success. Finally, they predict how Zion Williamson will perform leading the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA Playoffs.

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