National Basketball Association

Denver Nuggets: Learning from the Past- Rebounds

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:46 p.m. ET

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Nov 17, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) fights for a rebound with Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) during the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

For the Denver Nuggets, rebounding, and specifically securing defensive boards, should be a major area of focus going into this upcoming season.

Is that picture not hilarious? Love’s face and Faried’s near sideways body-positioning are interesting to say the least. The tragedy of this picture is that the rebound went completely unsecured, an issue that the Denver Nuggets have been all too familiar with lately.

In the 2015-16 season, the Denver Nuggets struggled with rebounding consistently. As a team, more effort seemed to be put on scrapping up offensive boards than boxing-out and safely securing defensive rebounds.

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Many players averaged high offensive rebounding numbers, with three players (Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic, and Kenneth Faried) ending the season with 2 or more offensive rebounds per-game.

But despite that feat, every single player finished the year with less than 9 rebounds per-game. In fact, all but two players averaged less than 6 rebounds per-game.

Securing rebounds is one of the most basic elements to any winning team, and the low numbers for last season’s Nuggets certainly played a role in the team’s losing record of 33-49.

As we take a look at Denver’s Top-5 rebounding leaders from last season, some surprising contributors emerge. But for the most part, this group of capable players presents a collective whole in need of improvement.

Jan 28, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) grabs a rebound in front of Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Nuggets won 117-113. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

#5 Danilo Gallinari (SF) 5.3 Rebounds Per-Game

With his 6’10” frame and heavy minute load, it is well within reason to expect more from Gallinari. Fellow NBA SF Carmelo Anthony averaged 7.7 rebounds per-game last season.

Anthony’s career average is 6.6 rebounds per, a number that Gallinari has not been able to reach in any of his 9 active seasons in the NBA, despite a 2″ height advantage over the Knicks’ star.

The good news is that Gallinari did manage to improve upon his 2014-15 season average of 3.7 rebounds per-game. Hopefully he carries this momentum into the upcoming season. If Gallo can bump his rebounding average closer to 7 boards per-game, the Nuggets would be in great shape.

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His abilities as both a ball handler and a passer opens up every Gallinari defensive rebound for fast break opportunities. It could mean less second chance points for opponents, and more easy buckets for the Nuggets.

Gallo will likely come into this season aggressively. Watch for defensive rebounding to be a part of that.

Oct 21, 2014; Boulder, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) and forward Alonzo Gee (1) battle Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum (3) for a rebound during the second half at the Coors Events Center. The Trail Blazers won 93-75. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

#4 Jusuf Nurkic (C) 5.5 Rebounds Per-Game

Jusuf Nurkic has been very motivated this off-season. After playing about 17 minutes per-game in both of his NBA seasons, he seems driven to acquire more court time.

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One of the best ways that he will be able to secure minutes is by upping his defensive rebounding. As both a rookie and sophomore, Nurkic was able to average 2.0 offensive rebounds per-game. That is not bad, considering his low minutes.

But on defensive boards, Nurkic has a lot of room to improve.

In fact, given his 7′ & 250+lbs frame, his low defensive rebound averages (3.4 rpg last season, 3.9 rpg career) are simply disappointing. Nurkic has taken some serious criticism for his overall low numbers, but the Bosnian Beast seems to be using this as fuel for improvement.

Lately, Nurkic’s twitter presence has been centered around the hashtag “#ProveThemWrong”. One of the first steps in accomplishing this goal is to secure more defensive rebounds.

Nurkic should be a double-double threat every time that he takes the floor. Maybe the 2016-17 season will be the one where he starts to make this happen.

Jan 30, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton (5) grabs a rebound against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

#3 Will Barton (SG/SF) 5.8 Rebounds Per-Game

There is not much to complain about in Will Barton’s performance last season.

He set career highs in nearly every statistical category, including rebounds per-game. Cracking the team’s top three rebounders as a 175lb guard shows off Barton’s greatest assets; effort determination.

Combine that with an inherent quickness and impressive vertical, along with a natural skill for weaving through bodies, and you have the recipe that yielded Barton’s impressive results.

This is one of the key reasons why he was able to snag a couple votes for Sixth Man of the Year.

There is a theme of momentum amongst many players on this Denver team, and Will Barton is either at or near the top of the list.

Nov 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) battle for position during the second half at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 103-102. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

#2 Nikola Jokic (C) 7.0 Rebounds Per-Game

When looking back on Nikola Jokic’s rookie season, its hard to be disappointed with any stat, including his rebounding.

While he could have done better, Jokic was certainly not bad at securing boards, especially when you consider that he started the season as a virtually unknown signee. Expectations were low, and the young center turned out to be a blessing for the Nuggets.

With Jokic, the call for improvement comes less from necessity, and more from excitement.

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Now, entering his sophomore NBA season, any improvement that he can bring to the team’s rebounding numbers would be huge for Denver’s chances at making the playoffs.

Let’s see what you can do, big fella!

#1 Kenneth Faried (PF) 8.7 Rebounds Per-Game

Kenneth Faried is almost performing at the level that Denver needs from him. He is a beast on the offensive glass, and is yet to go a season without averaging at least 3.0 ORPG.

Unfortunately, he is yet to break the 6 DRPG mark in any if his 5 NBA seasons.

Last season, his rebounding totals were exactly on with his career average. Faried is undersized, but he has quickness, a high vertical, and a long wingspan to make up for it. He loves to run down the court on fast break opportunities, which may be costing him opportunities to secure defensive boards.

Faried may be better utilized as a hustle-back scoring option on fast breaks, so asking him to stay put for defensive boards may be a mistake. If other players listed in this countdown, specifically Gallinari, Nurkic, and Jokic, can do more to carry the defensive rebounding load, then Kenneth Faried will only need to continue performing at his usual rate.

But if his teammates fail to improve, Faried will have to take his rebounding numbers to the next level. It would be great if the 2016-17 season marked a double-double year for Faried, but it’d be even better if his teammates were able to get the boards, and Faried’s scoring numbers saw the bigger boost.

Conclusion:

Faried, Gallinari, Barton, Mudiay, and Harris can all average scoring in the high teens. If they did, the Nuggets would be a team to watch for, and it all starts with better rebounding.

This upcoming season will put a lot of critical eyes on Denver’s young centers, and for good reason. Much of the team’s projected success will depend on their improvement, especially in securing rebounds.

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