Whenever a team lacking an established superstar makes a run of any kind, the whispers in response may as well be scripted. The lack of a go-to scorer is the critique of the masses, as there's nothing easier to identify than a lack of a player putting up 20 points per game.
Yet the Denver Nuggets—only the most recent and more sustainable of the latest star-less squads—have managed to score efficiently all season long. Denver has dealt with injuries to many of their key players, the mid-season addition of Wilson Chandler and the loss of a crucial piece in Nene.
Yet their offense—that oft-criticized and purportedly flawed system built on deception and sorcery—has remained incredibly sturdy.
According to NBA.com, the Nuggets have posted a top-three offense over the course of the entire season, but have largely been done in by their inability to defend. Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler are among this team's more talented perimeter defenders, and some of the problem may stem from the fact that that duo has played a combined 46 games this season.
Otherwise, we can easily look to Nene's slowed rotations, JaVale McGee's learning curve and the utilization of relatively unschooled bigs like Kenneth Faried, Timofey Mozgov and Kosta Koufos for a very basic explanation of what ails these Nuggets.
Yet that star-less offense remains humming through it all, and has held a place in the league's top 10 even during the Nuggets' most brutal stretches. In fact, if we look more specifically at Denver's offensive performance, we find that in terms of shot creation (as demonstrated by effective field goal percentage) and the ability to generate easy points (as evidenced by free throw rate), the Nuggets actually rate among the best in the league.
If this is truly a team missing a superstar-level shot creator, they haven't yet shown it in the regular season. The Nuggets already generate most everything an offensive star could possibly provide them. As Denver ekes into the playoffs, they'll still be smothered with the same tired critique.
Virtually every team in the NBA could use more shot creators and the Nuggets are no exception; they would likely be a better team if they were able to net a true superstar.
But saying that Denver is flawed in their construction specifically due to the lack of a star misses the point and ignores every bit of evidence available. It's an area in which Denver potentially could improve, but their star-less design is far from a legitimate source of weakness.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1151076-denvers-star-less-offense-is-working-just-fine-thank-you
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