Serbia faces Australia, Team USA takes on Brazil, and Canada is in a showdown with France as the Olympic quarterfinals begin. Can Nikola Jokic somehow make it to medal despite a brutal draw in the quarterfinals? How is the legacy of players impacted by their Olympic, FIBA, and Euroleague play? Plus, which Nuggets can have the best game of their career this season? We break it down with Adam Mares and Matt Moore on World's Finest!
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It's the lockdown podcast network your team every day. The 11 quarter finals begin play this week. We'll preview those games for both Team Serbia and Team USA and Team Canada plus how should Olympic and FIFA play impact a player's legacy and we'll talk a little bit about which nuggets will have career games this season. All that and more on locked on nuggets. You are locked on nuggets your daily Denver nuggets podcast part of the locked on podcast network your team every day. You're muted. You mute yourself. Welcome to locked on nuggets your daily never nuggets podcast part of the locked on podcast network your team everyday thanks for joining us and making this part of your day appreciate you guys being with us here on a Monday for world finest hope you're having a fine start to your week today shows brought to you by game time download the game time app create an account and use code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase terms apply. My name is Matt Moore. I'm the senior NBA writer for the action network. I'm joined by Adam Maras. He's director of content for dnbr we're gonna do world's finest today we're gonna talk about which nuggets will have their career best games this season which games best games of the nuggets careers are ahead of them this particular season in the second segment we're gonna talk about fiba play Olympic and fiba play and how those can shape legacies for various nuggets as well as just players in general and we'll start today by previewing the quarter finals of the Olympics as Adam it is it is a I will say this it's a really great bracket like it's a it is a this is a great bracket of that it is it is I wish sure it was not on us a side it sucks that they have to play him now three times you know that's that's that's a little bit lame but other than that other than that I agree that I think the bracket is very interesting. I just met from more from the teams in this I'm like going down the list and really outside of Greece I think because I think South Sudan was better than Greece I think they're better than Brazil they should have gotten over Brazil should have gotten over Brazil for sure on one side of the bracket you've got Germany takes on Greece at five a.m. Eastern three a.m. Mountain Serbia will play Australia at eight thirty a.m. Eastern six thirty a.m. Oh is it six thirty mm-hmm that's why I've got oh thank God I thought it was five thirty six thirty I could but that's that's fine that five thirties bad but six but six thirties okay I'm thirty I do not wake up at six thirty a little bit before I wake up but you know what you can do it you can do it can it will play France at noon Eastern and USA plays Brazil at three thirty Eastern from the numbers I've got let's talk about Serbia versus Australia Australia is honestly kind of underwhelmed I think given their NBA talent that they have on roster and kind of their history of success they haven't been nearly as impressive as they have been in kind of other in other Olympic years so to me this looks like a very good opportunity for Serbia to at least get past and have a chance versus team USA in that next round what are your thoughts on Serbia versus Australia I think it'll be a good game I think it'll be an interesting style fight I mean number one yoke it should have a major advantage I think it's more difficult and fever play with the rules and how you can stack the paint for a big to have an individual one-on-one scoring advantage nonetheless it's jock landale and there's nobody behind him to walk wreath and some guy I never heard of so I don't I think that yoke should be able to really be aggressive this is a game I would predict him to have like 15 rebounds in so I think it sets up nicely for him but Serbia has struggled in the past I'm shook because they have struggled in the past with these little guards that get hot and patty Mills is one of those guys that can just if I told you patty Mills should make seven threes in that game you would not be surprised it's on the table you know Josh Giddy's obviously a good player an NBA player knows how to get he looks like he's on a mission so far in this tournament so for me it's not a cakewalk I think Serbia's gonna have to have an a game but I think that it plays well to yokech a strengths and you know I think he'll do well TVSA plays Brazil they'll stop them I don't even really want to spend any time on the Brazil matchup they're gonna absolutely stop all over Brazil who I think they're going to beat him so bad people are going to overreact a little bit I think that's what's going to happen this might be that 40 point win 120 like they put up an insane number and people are like no one stopping him but it's a little bit of a false summit yeah is this the best Olympic team USA of all time right Canada versus France I think is really interesting just from France hasn't been impressive right like they go to overtime versus Japan in an absolutely classic game and then Victor woman Yama was sensational in that group play game and over time that's my only kind of thing here where Canada should win they should win comfortably because I think that they are just much better than France but Victor women Yama in particular is just such a wild card he can look awful one second and look absolutely dominant the next and have employers like that I think is always like really kind of scary but overall I just think Canada's defense in particular on the perimeter they're so physical with the guys that they have I think they should be able to get past France it's defense versus defense it's the only thing I think you can give yourself if you're France how can you win this game defense versus defense in Canada doesn't take threes for some reason like Jamal Marie is actually going to be important in this game because they need his three point shooting Kelly old and Olenik is having a terrible tournament right now as well him and Jamal both of those guys represent the shooting for that team so I think they'll be needed but to your point the margin of error is in Canada's favor I think the honest is still ever is still leading the Olympics and scoring for game I think he is carrying a sissafian load for Greece in this one and I don't think they've got much of a chance versus Germany who I think is I think they're the second best team in the tournament I think they have a legitimate shot if they can catch team USA over confident I think there's like a shot a shot for Germany to pull off the upset I think Germany's that good I'm really in on Germany Germany is the Spurs they execute they play really smart brand basketball and they have guys those names don't necessarily ring out but are good players and Schroeder Wagner even Daniel Tisto's role so they have guys I like them as I like them a lot as well I think that'll be a good game or I think I think they'll be a contender I don't think it'll be a good game for Greece I think they're gonna smoke him what are your predictions going in the quarter file around for meddling USA gold yeah I actually think the bracket broke well for team USA as much as I think Serbia is good I just I think it's gonna be tough for them to beat team USA Germany would have a better chance and maybe even Canada so USA gold I think Germany's I'm gonna go Canada silver ooh and I'm gonna go with Serbia as the bronze even though that one to me is like a 50 50 but I'm gonna go with my heart on that one I will go team USA gold Germany silver here's the thing about Germany Canada they Schroeder is like their MVP I know Wagner is really good but they have Dort they have Nikhil Alexander Walker they have Dylan Brooks they have a lot of guys that you would think would make an impact like it's the specifically the matchup because I like Germany more as a team but I think that matchup might lend itself a little bit more towards Canada that's interesting okay I still can I think I like Germany for overall their size athleticism I think especially Candice Biggs have struggled a little bit more than I expected so I am a little bit worried on on that front so I'll go ahead now go with Germany for the silver bronze I think yeah if you get a Jamal if we get a Canada Serbia showdown for a medal that would that's my worst case scenario I don't want that you know you'll want it one of Murray or yoke him some woman empty handed that's a bummer I will I think I'm actually gonna go with Serbia for bronze oh Canada I think Canada goes home empty which would really suck for them given how much they've led up to this point the Canada's had a few games in group play in the friendlies that I've just kind of been like huh like they're just not and like look I think Serbia's had some some some dicey moments here and there but I think maybe floor for Canada is lower than Serbia so I'll predict a floor game for both in the bronze and I'll go with Serbia for for for bronze how much how would it be a bad thing like those two matching up would it be a bad thing like them playing each other do you think it could create any kind of weirdness no no those guys what if Murray has nothing but terrible games and then the bronze medal game goes off for 30 I think you know it was on the table right yoke would genuinely be happy for him it'd be like all right there's my guy yeah I think you're right yeah I think you're right there will be I think that athletes in general have nothing but respect for at their very core they respect the competitiveness in their peers but here's the question man is because obviously and I did the documentary a hundred invisible threads I know how important international success is for Serbian players as legacy and I don't think yoke like you know ruminates on his legacy too often but I do think that he cares to bring metals to Serbia I do think that that means something to him and so losing out on one I think I think he's very like determined to try to get a medal in the Olympics and losing out on one I think would be pretty painful for him so you're right that there's a weird layer as if you lose it to your teammate that would be a bummer but I don't think it would be a personal thing but I do think that it would bother yoke to not get a medal yes I think that's definitely true given just if you're gonna put the time in you want to come away with something so a lot of time and energy man a lot of time and energy to not get a medal you know Adam kind of mentioned it here that you know the Olympics and FIFA play can really impact the player's legacy we'll talk about how that can shape a player's legacy plus we'll take a look at what that could mean for the various nuggets in Olympic play we'll do that next here on lock on nuggets passion drive and patience the formula for winning championships is also what keeps your rider die alive eBay Motors is everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance superchargers roof rack exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you're into speed power or style eBay Motors has you covered with over a hundred and twenty million parts for your number one rider die you'll always find exactly what you're looking for it was eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because the eBay Motors you're burning rubber not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want it's easy to make your car the MVP and bring home huge wins keep your rider die alive eBay Motors dot com eligible items only exclusions apply eBay guaranteed fit only available to US customers we'll be right back unlocked on that Hey every day is for your second listen enjoy the locked on NBA podcast there's no off season in the NBA and locked on NBA provides daily basketball analysis from national and local experts in 30 minutes or less no one keeps you as informed and entertained as locked on NBA available on YouTube or wherever you get podcasts part of the locked on podcast network your team every day back here on locked on nuggets thanks for joining us and making us party your day appreciate you guys being with us here on a Monday for world's finest real quick I want to give a shout out to every single person with emergency management and firefighters that helped out with the fires in loveland this past week I was about seven miles from the original starting point of the fires and they meant the work that those folks did to keep those fires away from homes and businesses and the fiber optics line which keeps people in contact there's no other way for a lot of folks in the canyon to be able to get contact was absolutely phenomenal the fire is heading up towards 70% contained right now which is absolutely sensational given how dry it has been it was a miserable fight I've been my kid has got bronchitis from all of the smoke that has been going on so I have nothing but gratitude for everyone that helped with the fires across the state of Colorado this week shout out all right let's talk about about Olympic play and fever international play and how can shape legacies I always think this is a really great question in part because the Hall of Fame is driven off of all levels like regardless of whether you should be what no you're right that part I think is a little silly but yeah like because I'm all I am kind of the mindset of like I actually think much like I feel about how you have to kind of recognize the differences in these games it would be good to have an NBA Hall of Fame in part to let like the actual basketball Hall of Fame not have this constant tension with what about the NBA like I know it needs to be able to stand on its own because there have been so many great players that have come through and change it what do you feel like an Olympic medal bronze silver gold what do you think that does for a players career when we look back at it well first of all these tournaments are funny because like Serbia got on USA side of the bracket which means bronze which means gold and silver feel like they're out of the equation of course they're possible in these upset scenarios but there's such long shots where if they were on the other side you could look at it and say okay silver medal you know now you have a chance at the silver so it's a little bit different when we start I think that you have to first of all just say metals count and golds count and then the silver bronze is like well let's see how they what kind of break did they get you know in the in the seeding but I think they do matter especially I think they matter more every year going forward than they did in the previous ones just because of how much the international competition is becoming serious it's becoming intense now but I look at it and I say a guy like manager Naomi winning with the Spurs as much as he did and then upsetting being part of a team that upset and the team USA and sort of changed international competition that's a huge boost to him when we talk about well how good was he you know how good really was he was with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker how can we evaluate him we say yeah but he was with this whole other group of guys and they had success as well I think Paul Gasol is a similar story he played with Kobe how good was he he was playing with Kobe this or that well guess what he also had success playing with this other group of guys in a whole different other stage so I think those things actually do factor and going forward I always look at Luca winning Euro basket winning a gold medal I look at that and I go that's impressive that's actually a really impressive thing to do and when you see how tough the competition is in these tournaments for him to already have that under his belt it counts for me our veto sub bonus one gold two silvers in the Olympics one gold one silver World Cup one gold one silver two bronze at Euro basket I do kind of wonder like where our vetoes would have would have been had he been in like modern game right like his NBA career was so influenced by the age of which he came over and the way that the game was played honestly then like at the RV this would absolutely just destroy in today's game I think it would be phenomenal there's no way he's guarding the perimeter though there is a that's true there is a real argument to be made that maybe outside of the team USA players the pogasal is one of an and Oscar Schmidt because we got to just like take Oscar and put him aside I mean I don't know anything about it other than the records right pogasal three 11 medals including two silvers he was a seven time medalist at Euro basket three time first place he had a first place you know what you mentioning this makes me think of another thing that's a lot of volume I think there's an impressiveness to the volume two of like and serves always say this about yokage like Bogdan Bogdanovich is now the leading scorer in Serbian history it's impressive that he plays every summer that that's a level of endurance that's kind of like man that's I would love it if we started crediting players for playing a ton you know like I wonder if that would be coming instead of like we talk about Iron Man never missed a game what John Stockton and Carmelo those guys never got hurt it'd be cool like if that became a bigger part of a player's legacy was they just were available and they never set out I think you know it's because of the modern era it's it's definitely a credit because we see so many guys miss games there's always I think gonna be this other side of it because if you're like you're a fan of somebody I do try and consider this if you're a fan of somebody who's just always injured right if you're a fan of somebody who's just always injured it doesn't feel like their fault it doesn't feel like it doesn't feel fair so it doesn't feel fair to credit the other side of it but for me I'm just like yeah they made the choice especially in this environment like yoke had every reason to take the summer off every single reason and like yeah there's a lot of pressure that's involved in it for representing your country but if he had just been like look I have you know he could have been like yeah I have wrist surgery can't do it right whatever it is but he's playing Jamal Jamal had every reason to be like look I wasn't I was terrible in the playoffs I got to get healthy but he is trying to work his way through this and compete for his country and so these players that are willing to do so I do think it's a real credit to them to be available that much and to compete especially when you're a guy like Paul Gasol or Yokech who your team is so dependent on I think absolutely for sure and then just if you look at this tournament it does mean something to me that Franz Wagner is so successful I mean here's another thing to think about there's NBA basketball and FIFA basketball is different there's different styles sometimes you see a player get traded from one team to another and they're either way better or way worse and you think okay what happened were they only good in this system or what have you so players whose talents is able to translate to multiple systems to me that tells me something about their game and I'll give you a player that is impressed me Devin Booker we talk about how hard it is for players to scale their games up and down Devin Booker has done a great job of fitting into what the role that was needed him team USA he might be number one player on team USA at changing his role from what it is in the NBA to something else but doing an A+ job at it so to me that shows a level of mastery over the game that you're able to mold to different things and the fact that Franz Wagner is so good in the NBA max player but also so good at this style to me that like that gives that tells me something about him that makes me think he's a little better that we should elevate our perception of him so it sounds like for your estimation that participating in these games and excelling in these games is a really like you think there's a real that there's is maybe not only just underrated but that there's a real significant upgrade to how we should evaluate these players based off of their both availability and performance in these kinds yes with the caveat of like James Harden is a great example of this to me James Harden is a great player how much can he be like he has the quote even this last year I am the system like as much as that feels like a thumpier chest you know declaration part of me goes like yeah but can you not be like can you can are you capable of being something else besides the system and I think can be to get not just to keep ragging on him but that's one thing I'm watching now is I'm like it's interesting that he doesn't seem to know how to do anything else than the one thing he does really well albeit maybe better than anybody in the NBA right now but it is interesting to go like is there there must be some limitation to a skill and then it makes you wonder does that limitation actually affect him in the NBA in ways that we don't recognize you know because it makes it harder on other teammates so I look at that and I just say international competition is fun for showing guys a different element a slightly different element and seeing how they adjust if yoga adds another metal if he doesn't wind up with a bronze or silver let alone gold what he does for his legacy as an international player I think he has a long way to go there's players that are very accomplished in international competition so just his international resume would it would add another metal to the trophy case for sure but I think that he still has I think yoke has like one signature Olympics or World Cup or Euro basket event still ahead of it meaning like if he even if he gets like a say a bronze this year again just kind of curse from being against this team USA and having to play him in the semis but I think there's a signature gold or silver or just moment or game that that if he doesn't get one I think it'll feel like he missed out on something and I think sermons would feel that especially does look I have a shot at going down as the greatest international player of all time I mean yes because he's young he's great and he already has a metal but the one thing about him that will find out LeBron James is 39 years old and still the best player on team USA because he's taken care of his body better than anybody in the history of the game or as well as anybody in the history of the game is Luca that because we look at Luca and we're like oh man he has 10 more years of international competition does he we'll find out because you don't get that just by you know just by being there you have to be capable of being able to put that much mileage on your body and I'm most find out if he is Nina brings up it's mono and I sent you mono's international resume which is just preposterous it's insane it's a lot of winning it's just incredible like Mona genovly to have the number of titles that he had what four titles in the NBA along with everything that he's got at Euro league champion Euro league finals MVP two time Euro league finals top scorer like the list goes on and on and on two times Italian Cup like the number of things in Mona's resume Mona I Mona drove me nuts when he was because he was such a flopper in the late 2000s and I missed that guy so much for how crafty he was he was such a phenomenally great player I really missed my new watch my nose like basketball I'm gonna watch a module highlights today so so many here says Euro won't count I'm think you're saying Euro basket won't count I think it counts maybe the most that might be the toughest tournament just because all the good like in the Olympics there's only there's a Lithuania didn't make it in Slovenia didn't make it in Latvia didn't make it in there's good teams that didn't make it Italy that just because there's only 12 teams are allowed and they want to get like every continent so Euro basket probably has the densest concentration of good teams the World Cup as well although the US doesn't bring their best team for the World Cup for whatever reason so each tournament has its own dynamic that I find interesting and then on top of that as I mentioned before in the Olympics you're avoiding the US so if you get them in the semi final you end up with a bronze instead of a silver whereas in Euro basket there's no US it's a level playing field and it's like that gold to me almost matters more because you don't have to say circumstances that get about the US you just say nope it was the best of the rest outside of like Argentina Brazil on the other side we're gonna talk about the nuggets and we're gonna talk about which players are gonna have a career game this upcoming season who can have their best game of their career in 2024 25 we'll do that next here unlocked on nuggets time talking about game time I love game time I've talked about it before I have multiple concert tickets I'm going to this month I got on game time we're gonna go see some Rockies games before the end of the season gonna get them on game time it's absolutely phenomenal it's the best way for you get tickets to any sporting event you can also go in late and you can get right right to the start of the event and then just walk in and find these great discount tickets so if you're just like if you're shopping on the cheap like a lot of folks have to be you can definitely still go to these events by getting in after they start with game time they've got that you can say the 60% off buying last minute for sports concerts comedy theater and more they've got all in pricing you toggle that feature on and you can make sure that you know exactly what you're gonna be paying for instead of getting 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Hey every day years for your second listen enjoy the locked on NBA podcast there's no off season in the NBA and locked on NBA provides daily basketball analysis from national and local experts in 30 minutes or less no one keeps you as informed and entertained as locked on NBA available on YouTube or wherever you get podcasts part of the locked on podcast network your team every day. Back here on lock on nuggets thanks for joining us and making this part of your day I appreciate you guys being with us Bobby Yeager is very mad at me for saying Germany is good at basketball and says everyone calls LeBron James LaFlop no one calls him that it's like one of those like there's a sweet I seem going around by Charlie Brown having a series of young women around him and it's like no he didn't that's not true same deal let's let's talk about the nuggets so which players are going to have career games this season so let's start with who we know is not Russell Westbrook probably not going to have a career game given what he's a company imagine what if he had a career game where he had a 50 point triple double in Denver like what career game would be insane that'd be the story of the year in the entire NBA but yes he's not a good second I'm not gonna happen Aaron Gordon isn't like I think it actually kind of like an interesting one like it's like a little interesting like he had a career high of of 41 obviously with the Orlando Magic that's not a surprise that was his best game what was his best game I actually don't know his best game his individual best game would be I see a game high game score he had one you have a 41 point game in 2018 but if we go to Denver he had a 33 point six it was against oh that was the game they lost the magic when he was unbelievable yes 37 to 13 and the team just kind of was like we're not interested tonight oh yeah oh I had a bummer let's see there's a 2017 game with Orlando where he was really good that Chicago game was really good they lost that man he a lot of his best games are in losses that Hawks that or that that Thunder game they went in overtime back in 2022 31 points eight boards for assists not a bad one let's say what is one of the odds that he has his best game of his career I'm gonna say I'm gonna say 10% because it is possible it is possible I just I think it's almost certainly not going to happen I will put it at 33% I think there's a one in three chance because look I'm gonna stress this if they do the smart thing and they actually get guys games off yeah fresh all year then Aaron and well and I and it's like if if he's rested more and yoke takes a night off once in a freaking while then you can actually get Aaron with an opportunity like if you face the blazers and you give Aaron the ball as primary initiator for a full game I think Aaron can put up some numbers with how he learned yeah I like I like it I still think it's hard to have best game but you know what I like it well we'll we'll do it 10 10% 33% you can let us know in the chat which one you think uh look Jamal Murray's best game I think you know playoffs obviously is the is is the bubble right like that's the thing about both yokech and Murray is you start to split hairs right because they both reached the top of the s tier for individual games so if we say about best seasons I think it's possible but if you say best games Murray has multiple 50 point games in the playoffs he has crazy games 30 point triple double in the finals I don't think he'll top that can he get to that level again yes but best game when it's all said and done I don't know we'll say that I mean sure come on man do you have this this uh 2021 game in front of you for Jamal the 50 point regular season game that was against Cleveland no free throws was it 21 of 25 21 of 25 13 of 15 from 2 8 of 10 from 3 six boards two assists two steals one turnover I need Murray to have games like this this year man I need it Marie come in in great shape shut me up please you know honestly I I had forgotten that's who he is Matt that's why everybody's so mad it's because he has this in him he had a it's it is interesting to me that like I completely like this game it just like slipped through my memory cracks where I just did not remember because if you ask me like well how was he after you know in 2021 I was like well he started slow and he started playing like pretty well and then he got hurt and it's like no he had a 50 point game on 21 of 25 shooting in like two months before he got hurt so um yeah I mean do you think though that he can have that kind of game this season yes okay I do I like right now we're at the bottom like if you're buying the Murray stock it's at the bottom right now it's at the dip maybe after this tournament honestly because I don't know if he's going to have a great game but you know what I'm still optimistic that he can get his body right over the next eight weeks coming into camp and that he can really push himself in ways he hasn't before be more focused and out to prove something so I'm my home hopeful can I give you an anecdote I heard over the weekend about Russell Westbrook hit me I'm told that he made some calls after visiting Denver to chastise certain members of the team about how messy their locker rooms were or their lockers were again as it just as a sign of the type of energy he's bringing which I think is good I don't think like a you know like a grouch I think it was a welcome like all right hey man we're not doing this this is a work environment keep your desk clean wow okay which I like I'm telling you I think the nuggets these are the little things again they can go up the rails maybe in four or five months we're talking about Manny so annoying maybe it's that but I look at this and I go I just think the team had a lack of anybody that would ever say anything like that like they just didn't have a guy that had that's a specific type of energy and I'm hopeful that that's like a hey there's a guy in town this is a business trip I'm most excited for katie wingy's interactions with Russell because everyone loves katie this is the ultimate test oh yeah show it oh no he'll yeah yeah everyone respects and loves katie everyone Michael Porter Jr. this is the elk this is where the line this is the line Michael Porter's had some phenomenal games like when you just look statistically he had like the eight of ten shooting game in his rookie season you know he's had some big time moments in playoffs the quarter quarter twenty two point quarter quarter in the playoffs I still think his best game is ahead of him if we step back it won't be statistical but I think that there will be a game this year where we step back and go that was the most complete game Michael Porter played he just he looked like the most complete and it might only be a 25 point game like a 25 and 14 rebound six assists game or something like that where we're like man look at that I don't know but I think it'll be something where we're just like that's the best all-around play we've seen from them I think there's definitely a game ahead of him where it's like he has a double double because he I think it's necessary for him to rebound him or for him to have a great game and for him to have like one of those games where they actually give him the ball and just like for whatever reason it clicked that night and he was him he was hitting the quote-unquote hezzies and and like hitting you know coming off coming off a pin downs actually getting to the rack strong finish I said that you're dunk like one of those games where we're just like god like MBJ was a three level scorer tonight I think he definitely has that game ahead of him so I will agree with you I think that he will have his best game of his career this season I think this will be my bold prediction when we get to predictions I think he's gonna have a game with two fortified quarter quarters he always has a quarter quarter and then like is you know something else I think he'll have two or we're like oh a quarter quarter in the first quarter oh a quarter quarter in the third quarter oh my god we're up to 40 points now going into the fourth Christian will have like his best game of his career by like game 10 yeah I was doing the math on this earlier he has a 25 point game versus New Orleans and he has a 1910 and five game against Memphis he obviously had a great game in game three of the finals so he has like some pockets of really good play in there but I agree with you that I think his best game let's put it this way how many of his top 10 games will come in this year do you think nine no I think that man maybe I'll say like seven I think I think Christian Brown is gonna have I don't know I think the year will be good for him but I think he's gonna have games and stretches where we're like man he is on a nice run of good games how many of Christian Brown's worst games will come this season none I think that's another part of this I think his floor is just higher I mean he'll have games where he shoots oh for four but he doesn't like a disaster game for him is like also getting beat turnovers I just don't think it'll happen too much I think it'll be like four of ten I think a lot of I mean because he'll play more so I think I think he'll have nights where the where the opponent is like you can shoot all you want and they just won't they won't fall and they'll be like uh oh and then I will be insufferable and then he'll shoot like eight of ten from three the next game so it'll be fine um Peyton Watson pretty easy like we we both think that he's gonna have like the there's nothing but well for Peyton he has an eighteen seven and five game which is really nice that's like a off the bench triple double you know it's like a half triple double here's the thing with Peyton he's the one guy that I'm worried about where he's gonna fit into this equation just because I think of all the guys this roster is least tailored to have helping him have a breakout there's not a lot of shooting off the bench he's playing with Russell Westbrook and Dario Sarich he's gonna be at best the third option at worst fourth or fifth option and not a floor spacer so I'm worried that this year might not set up for him very well that being said I think he's gonna be by far the best version of himself he's ever been so there'll be games where he looks really good but I'm worried that this season is not tailored to him I have the most confidence in in Peyton Watson I have the most confidence of anybody of outside of Nicole Yochich and Aaron Gordon I have the most confidence in Peyton Watson even more than MPJ this season that he's gonna have a great season I think he's gonna have an absolutely I hope you're right on this one I don't want to be right I think he's gonna evolve into a we're gonna be talking about him as a as if like could this guy be a like maybe this is a real star maybe this is a real star man if you tell me everything else is average and that's the case the nuggets are fine like Peyton Watson's that impactful of a player that if he's that they're fine I think one of the reasons the playoffs were so frustrating is that he didn't get the chance to close out that series yeah and and now we have this wonder about what he can do and can't do so if that's the case nuggets are looking good uh Julian Strathor for sure he hasn't played Dario Sarge we were doing the math on this one his high is 26 points he had a 26 and eight game those numbers aren't that great I will say this I don't think he'll have a game better than that just because I don't know if the volume will be there but I do think he'll have games in that range I would not be surprised if there's a game Yochich rests Dario Sarge has a very good game and has like a 24 and 7 assist game or 24 and 6 assists something like that and we're like man that's pretty good close to the best game he's ever played yeah I I have a hard time seeing it just because Dario I just another year on him that injury really just did take something away from him he was he was so good with that son's team before he got hurt the average twice as many assists as he had in his any other previous season last year average yeah and if you fill in for Yoke with a system that's already in place and you just get to play that role I think he suited for having a good game hey this is a separate question and we're running long I don't care um how interchangeable do you think guys are they are not the same systems but how interchangeable is it do you think from going from golden state to Denver or Denver to Golden State because they're both motion read off them more yeah more similar definitely more similar than like the clippers or you know one of the sun so I think I think there's probably something to that for sure but I think more importantly Dario Sarge he was a natural fit there and I think that the way they play just in Europe in general is more like how the nuggets play although the nuggets again more stagnant than I would like I'm hoping they're injecting more motion into their offense yeah for sure all right it's going to do it for locked on oh yeah I forgot one guy who Zeke Najee oh okay the lowest of bars his career high 16 to nine when I was looking up game score he had a game with 16 points nine rebounds that's his best honest question on this one Matt yeah 16 points nine rebounds just factor in what kind of game that is will he have a game that's better than that and if you want to just think forget stats you've seen Zeke's games do you think you'll have a game this year that you're like that might have been the best game of his career my struggle here is that the only way I think you get the opportunity to have that game is if there are injuries and well the nuggets are so thin I just think he's gonna play yeah it's just like does he play versus an opponent he could have that kind of game against like if they're hurt and they play more random yeah they're hurt and they play Milwaukee do I like Zeke's chances no I do not yeah right yeah it's not so that's like my struggle here so like I'll say no I'm gonna say yes because the bar's so low yeah and like and I like I said last year he gets the contract it's kind of a pressure year it's everything is on the outs there's guys behind him this year I think he'll get an opportunity with a little bit lower low leverage and the bar is so low I think he'll clear it so we do yoke yeah we did okay oh or maybe we didn't but yoke we talked about him alongside Murray it's just so hard he's got he has like 40 S tier games yes so is he gonna have the best of the S tier game honestly would we even recognize it if we saw it I don't know yeah sometime in the future before like we can't just do this after he's done like we have to do this like you and I gotta sit down and we just got to be like here are our top 10 yogurt games who man I'd be so hard to do but it would be so fun to do I gotta do it all right it's good to do it for lockdown nuggets thanks for joining us appreciate you guys being with us we'll see you guys again tomorrow with Swipeh for Tuesday we'll be back on world's finest on Wednesday and then swipe in gripe on Thursday or Friday depending on how swipe in our schedules go hope you guys have a great week we'll see you guys again next time on lockdown nuggets a prime members you can listen to this lockdown podcast add free on amazon music download the amazon music app today I love sports I love them so much I never want them to stop but as the playoffs wind down we get fewer games and the sports aren't sportsing like I want them to but Fandil lets me keep the sports going whenever I want all I have to do is open the app and dream up bets anytime I'm in the mood and this summer Fandil is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long so head over to fandil.com and start making the most out of your summer Fandil official sports betting partner of major league baseball
