Can These Spurs be a Threat to the Nuggets?

Despite all this—and despite that disappointing NBA Cup loss—Denver shouldn’t fear San Antonio, at least not yet. The Nuggets will still enter a potential series with these young Spurs as the favorites. Not only because they’re more experienced, but also because they can exploit several favorable matchups.

Defensively, the versatile pairing of Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun matches up well against the Wembanyama-Fox pick-and-roll. That allows Denver to hide Nikola Jokic by having him guard a less threatening offensive player. With his offensive growth this season, Peyton Watson can now play meaningful playoff minutes without opponents exploiting his limited shooting. One of the few bright spots in the NBA Cup loss was Watson’s ability to bother and chase Fox around screens effectively. His length and athleticism would also make him an intriguing matchup against Wembanyama, allowing the Nuggets to switch seamlessly whenever Gordon, Braun, or Watson are involved in the action.

Just as important is the fact that some Spurs players, despite their incredible talent, remain quite raw. Castle, for instance, still struggles with his three-point shooting. That potentially gives Denver a viable hiding spot for their superstar. Furthermore, a Castle-Fox backcourt also lacks perimeter shooting reliability. That allows the Nuggets the freedom to utilize different defensive schemes like their zone defense, for example.

Lessons the Nuggets Should Take From Their NBA Cup Defeat To San Antonio

Yet none of this means the Nuggets can simply shrug off the loss as meaningless. San Antonio exposed several issues that would resurface in a potential playoff matchup.

First and foremost, Denver’s pick-and-roll coverage was absolutely shocking. Of course, as mentioned before, without their defensive core in Braun and Aaron Gordon, both Valanciunas and Jokic looked helpless. When the Nuggets kept their bigs low, they allowed easy alley-oops to Kornet. That problem would only worsen with a superior lob threat like Wembanyama on the floor. However, when the bigs stepped up to the ball handler, Fox consistently turned the corner on them. He created clean looks either for himself or his teammates. Even with Braun and Gordon back in the lineup, the problem with the bigs will still remain in traditional pick-and-roll coverage. San Antonio’s quick guards relentlessly exploited both Jokic and Valanciunas, and there is no reason this would change in the future.

One possible solution is to use bench lineups without Valanciunas and play a more mobile frontcourt with Gordon and Watson. However, that would only be a minor fix, since Jokic will be on the floor most of the time.

Equally troubling is how hard it became for Denver to involve Jokic offensively when teams put undersized defenders on him. This has been a recurring problem for Jokic and the Nuggets. They still struggle against defenses that front him with a smaller body while placing a bigger rim protector behind him. That exact strategy was used effectively by the Thunder with Alex Caruso in last year’s postseason.

The Verdict

Ultimately, as long as Jokic asserts himself as the best player on the floor, the Nuggets shouldn’t panic. For all of Wembanyama’s defensive brilliance, he can still be outmuscled in the post and on the glass. Both areas are where Jokic can absolutely dominate him. With his combination of strength and skill, the three-time MVP can overwhelm Wembanyama and put him in foul trouble frequently.

That said, Denver should keep a close eye on San Antonio. The Spurs’ long-term trajectory is undeniably compelling, and they’re evolving into another legitimate threat in the Western Conference. That rise speeds up even more if the Spurs swing another blockbuster move, especially one for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Should that happen, the Nuggets have every reason to be scared.

The Western Conference features numerous elite teams. Teams like the Thunder, Lakers, and these fast-developing Spurs continue to get better. That reality makes Denver’s obligation to win now even more urgent.