The Denver Nuggets may have just pulled themselves out of championship contention. Most surprisingly, the Mile-High City let their trusted guard, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, go away in the offseason. The 2x Champ had played a crucial role in the Nuggets’ 2023 Championship run. Now that they’ve resumed action in the preseason, Michael Malone might regret this decision, as the head coach stressed about the team’s latest adversity.

After losing their first two preseason games, the Denver Nuggets hosted the Phoenix Suns. And, yet again, they succumbed to a 114-118 loss. While Nikola Jokić and his frontcourt partners took care of the rim protection, the team has a growing concern in the backcourt. Speaking of it after the loss, Malone said, “That’s not my biggest concern. Game 1 in Abu Dhabi they (Celtics) took 61, but they didn’t shoot a good percentage. So if teams want to sit out there and launch, that’s not my issue.”

“My issue is them making 23! They outscored us by 33 points from the 3-point line. We dominated the glass, dominated the paint, but got our a– kicked from 3. We gave up 37 points in that third quarter, it was embarrassing!” 

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is undeniably one of the renowned perimeter defenders in the league. Arguably, better than Jrue. The Nuggets became a championship-caliber side when KCP brought his defensive abilities along with a championship resume from 2020.

KCP beautifully complemented both Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić. With strong defense and off-ball movement freed up space for the Canadian to work his magic. Unfortunately, it all went down the drain, just minutes into the opening of the free agency market, as the Orlando Magic found their starting guard for a $66 million 3-year deal.

The Nuggets used all their might to make an enticing offer to the hooper, but they already knew they were going to lose Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The blame is on the new CBA guidelines. If the Nuggets had made an even better offer, they would’ve slipped into the second apron tax bracket. In turn, also making it difficult to offer a max contract to Murray. Nevertheless, they need to look for a fix.

How will the Denver Nuggets survive without Kentavious Caldwell-Pope?

The Nuggets have only one option which is to tighten their defense. Even Michael Malone seemed determined to fix it before it was too late. He added, “Tomorrow we will watch a lot of film, there’s a lot to clean up, practice, and try to continue to pull it out of our guys. We only have two more chances in the preseason as we prepare for opening night.” Following Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s sudden exit from the side, Christian Braun automatically received a call-up to the starting lineup.

Heading into his third year, Braun has certainly impressed the Nuggets coach with his impressive plays. But he sure does lack the tenacity that KCP brings in the perimeter defense. Notably, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. have also returned from injury.

The team has added former MVP Russell Westbrook to the second unit. The ex-Clipper can bring his experience to the side that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope handed out in the previous season. He isn’t afraid to let it fly but tends to have a glaring patch of misfires. So, the Nuggets are covered on paper. And like coach Malone said, they have to regroup and work on their shortcomings.

Will the Nuggets go back to their winning ways in the next game? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.