Following the Denver Nuggets’ horrific 29-point loss to the Rudy-Gobert-less Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, center Mason Plumlee expressed his worries about the Nuggets’ lack of vocal player leadership. From Altitude TV’s Vic Lombardi (transcribed by Adam Mares of Denver Stiffs):
You know, I think it’s going to take some leadership, some…hold people accountable. Somebody has got to step forward and kind of be a voice, you know, and get on people and it can’t just be from the staff, we have to take ownership internally and, you know, deal with it.
The Nuggets are a quiet team. Their best player is either Nikola Jokic, who isn’t very vocal on the court, or Paul Millsap, who is out with a wrist injury right now, and whom Plumlee said “wasn’t super vocal.”
Plumlee told Lombardi that he believes that the lack of leadership “has to change if we want to make this season worthwhile. So it’s got to happen.”
The Nuggets haven’t been a disaster this season; their 11-9 record has them tied for sixth in the West. They have not, however, performed up to their potential. A team with Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Wilson Chandler, Paul Millsap (when healthy) and Nikola Jokic in the starting lineup, plus a deep bench, should have a top-five offense. Currently, their offense ranks ninth. Their defense – 21st in the league – is about where it was expected to be, if not a bit better.
