This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For the Jazz, it will be somewhat like looking into the mirror.
No, the Denver Nuggets aren't exactly like the Jazz of two years ago, or even a year ago. You can say that because of the presence of veterans like Jameer Nelson, and Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler. That alone makes it a little different.
At the same time, the Nuggets have trended young overall. Very young. Emmanuel Mudiay — a 2015 lottery pick — serves as the starting point guard. Jamal Murray — Denver's lotto selection this past June — plays a bundle of minutes at shooting guard. Will Barton and Gary Harris are two of the better young wing players in the league. Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic are promising young big men. Barton, at 25, is the old man of that group.
When the Jazz and the Nuggets meet on Saturday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena, it will mark their third matchup in less than three weeks. As division rivals, they've seen a lot of each other, which has given the Jazz an intimate look into one of the most callow rosters in the league.
"They're a tough matchup," Utah forward Joe Johnson said. "They have good bigs. They have a lot of guys that can score. It's a young team and they play hard. They are pretty much trying to find themselves."
When Denver hired Michael Malone last season — shortly after he had been fired by the Sacramento Kings — it was with the idea in mind of Malone whipping the young roster into shape.
It was also with the idea of development, which is where Murray has come in. The former Kentucky star has made an immediate impact, garnering the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award. He's averaged 10.4 points a night in November, and has scored at least 18 points in four of his previous six games, as of Friday night.
He, Harris and Mudiay have been pegged as the future of the franchise on the perimeter. The difference between the Jazz and the Nuggets is that Denver's kept a significant veteran presence on the roster during the rebuilding process.
Nelson, for example, once captained the Orlando Magic to the 2010 NBA Finals, where they lost to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. He now averages 9.7 points a night and serves as a mentor to Mudiay. Chandler and Gallinari lead Denver in scoring, while Faried is one of the better rebounders in the league.
"They've got some real young talent," Jazz forward Joe Ingles said. "They've built through the draft and they've gotten some international guys. That, and they play hard, and those are two things that we've wanted to do. We've always prided ourselves on playing hard, win or lose. They've got a good young group, and a good coach, and those are some of the similarities between them and us."
Denver is 7-11 heading into Friday night's matchup against the Houston Rockets. The Nuggets and the Jazz have split two meetings, with each team winning on the other's homecourt.
But while the Nuggets' start to the season illustrates overall inexperience in key spots, it also speaks to expectation. Even if the rest of the NBA thinks Denver is a year away from being a playoff outfit, that isn't where Malone sits.
"We are 7-11, two games out of the playoffs," Malone told The Denver Post. "We've done some good things and there are the things we have to get better at. So there's no need to panic. As long as we continue to grow, stay positive and stay together."
On Thursday, the Jazz were soundly beaten in the paint by the Miami Heat, surrendering a season-high 64 points in that area during a 111-110 loss. The Nuggets play a similar style to the Heat, Jazz coach Quin Snyder said.
"They're very, very effective in the paint," Snyder said. "Their guards attack, they offensive rebound, they put a lot of pressure on you and they get to the line. It's something that we have to be better at."
Twitter: @tribjazz —
Nuggets nuggets
• Denver forward Will Barton has missed 12 of the past 16 games due to an ankle injury.
• Jamal Murray is the newly crowned Western Conference Rookie of the Month.
• Denver and the Jazz lost to the Miami Heat on consecutive nights.
—
Nuggets at Jazz
P Saturday, 7 p.m.
TV • ROOT