What’s up guys. Ray here back with another game review. This time, two for the price of one. I thought that, since one game went very well and one went very poorly, I could wrap them up together and we can move forward a bit more even keel for the experience. Let’s get in to it
As always, I utilize a highly proprietary grading system to evaluate each player’s performance. I break the game down, possession by possession. If someone does something positive for the team, they get a point. If they do something unusually positive for the team, they get two. The same goes for negative plays. Some examples of things that will earn a point: a good contest on a shot or rotations on defense that lead to a defensive stop, a contested rebound, a difficult to see or execute pass eading to a good shot or a foul. Some examples that will earn two: a contested offensive rebound and putback that swings momentum, an isolation leading to an and one opportunity, a steal or block leading to a runout on the other end. Some examples that will lead to a negative point: being meaningfully involved in a failed defensive possession, a dead ball turnover, giving up an offensive rebound. Some examples that will lead to two negative points: giving up an and one, a live ball turnover leading to positive offense the other way, technical fouls.
Starting off with the bench and we’ll move in to the starters, I’ll cover their play in both games and give my thoughts on the double header at the end along with scoring totals.
PJ Hall
PJ played in garbage time during the first game. I thought he was fine.
Spread: 4
Ratio: 5
Spread per minute: 1.33
Grade: N/A
Trey Alexander
Trey, similarly played in garbage time during the first game and was similarly fine in doing so.
Spread: 2
Ratio: 3
Spread Per Minute: .5
Grade: N/A
Spencer Jones
The trend continues here. I found no issue with his play in a handful of minutes.
Spread: 3
Ratio: 4
Spead Per Minute: .75
Grade: N/A
Zeke Nnaji
The last of the deepest bench. It’s Zeke.
Spread: 4
Ratio: N/A
Spread per minute: .5
Grade: N/A
Deandre Jordan
I continue to feel good about how Deandre is playing. When he’s fresh, he’s creating advantages for his teammates by setting good screens, playing with control when he gets the ball on the short roll, finishing lobs and clearing the boards consistently. The major caveat here is keeping him fresh. It seems like the more he plays, whether it’s within a single stint or on a night to night basis, the more he struggles to maintain that level of play.
Spreads: 10, 6
Ratio: 3, 2
Spread per minute: .71, .60
Grade: B, B-
Hunter Tyson
Hunter only played in the first game with Jamal Murray out but he brings a dimension to the game that the Nuggets otherwise have not consistently had. He rebounds well on both ends. He dives for loose balls and runs the floor hard. He projects as a capable shooter in rhthym. He has a decent frame and hustles on defense. He also has a level of awareness that comes with multiple years of collegiate basketabll.
Spread: 11
Ratio: 4.7
Spread per minute: .73
Grade: B+
Peyton Watson
With more athleticism than Peyton but less experience than Russell Westrbook, Peyton has been Denver’s best perimeter defender in these two matchups. His length and mobility produces positive results on the boards, on defense and in running the floor. That isn’t to say he doesn’t make mistakes, that he doesn’t foul, that he doesn’t miss shots, but he has one of the highest work rates on the team and I continue to believe he is a part of any positive future for the Denver Nuggets.
Spread: 11, 14
Ratio: 2.6, 2.4
Spread per minute: .62, .58
Grade: B, B-
Jalen Pickett
Jalen only played in the first game, during which Jamal Murray sat, but it was very much his coming out party. He looked poised, confident and able to be productive on and off the stat sheet.I can’t say he’ll be in the playoff rotation, but he brought a level of organization and stability to the team by getting the offense running, limiting mistakes on either end, and by occasionally bailing the team out when pressed late in the shot clock.
Spread: 35
Ratio: 36.0
Spread Per Minute: 1.52
Grade: A+
Julian Strawther
Julian is coming in to his own as an offensively player to a degree. He is shooting with more confidence and consistency, often in higher difficulty situations than most. That said, while he does seem to have the desire to be an effective defensive player, that has yet to materialize. He is often overcomitting on closeouts and fouling on the interior. His occasional highlight block and the fact that he does play with energy says to me that he will likely become a reliable player on both ends given time, but that time may not be in the immediate future. He could also use some improvement in his control of the game itself as a guard in the NBA, the kind of thing that comes with time.
Spread: 9, -1
Ratio: 3.3, .9
Spread per minute: .5, -.06
Grade: C, F
Russell Westbrook
This is an interesting matchup for Russ, given the familiarity he has with Kevin Durant and the familiarity Kevin Durant has with him. He continues, along with Peyton, to have the highest work rate on the team and is constantly leaving an impact on the game. His pace and passing are creating for himself and others in a way that Denver hasn’t often had in the last decade. That said, it felt like as time went on there were more instances of the Suns making hard reads on Russ: letting him shoot threes, anticipating his kickout patterns and so on. During the first game, they were barely noticable bumps in the road but in the second it really became apparent that the Suns were gameplanning to attack Denver in certain ways. He also had a rough shooting night in the second game.
Spread: 16, 12
Ratio: 2.5, 2.0
Spread Per Minute: .64, .44
Grade: A-, B-
Christian Braun
Christian looks like he’s going through something. I mentioned this in my prior reivew from the Pelicans game, but he seems a step slow, a little low on explosiveness and somewhat hesistant. Jamal Murray said everyone is dealing with something in a presser recently and I think that may be true for CB given he sat a couple games with a lower back injury.
Spread: 17, 7
Ratio: 3.8, 1.9
Spread Per Minute: .65, .25
Grade: B, C-
Michael Porter Jr
It was a tale of two games for MPJ. In the first, it looked like the apex of everything Mike could be for Denver this year. He was assertive, both from deep and in the interior. He was leveraging advantages for himself and creating them for others. He looked locked in defensively and as a rebounder. Like other players, that isn’t to say he never makes mistakes, and we also saw that the next night. With Jamal back in the lineup, and with a taste of how Denver operates close in the rear view, Mike looked like a much different player. There was hesitancy. There were long stretches during which he didn’t get a shot attempt up. There were turnovers. He didn’t look as confident, and I think it is becoming an open question whether or not Jamal’s presence and his struggles create some uncertainty in Mike in who he feels he needs to be and how he feels he needs to fit in.
Spread: 30, 8
Ratio: 8.5, 1.5
Spread per minute: 1.0, .22
Grade: A+, D
Aaron Gordon
Similar to Christian but in a more pronounced it was clear that Aaron wasn’t 100% even before he left the second game with calf tightness. He seemed a step slow, as he chased players over and around the Suns’ screens. He’s not playing badly on the offensive end, but his work rate is a bit lower than I might expect from him.
Spread: 12, 1
Ratio: 2.2, 1.1
Spread per minute: .52, .05
Grade: B, F
Jamal Murray
Jamal only played in the second game in this double header and I regret to inform you that he was terrible. The defense was lacking. Like Mike, there were turnovers and missed box outs. There’s also a broader effect that he has on the team in that he slows the pace down, mitigating some advantages Denver would otherwise enjoy and did enjoy the game prior. I don’t penalize for missing shots if they’re good shots to take, but I’m sure everyone involved is hoping for better from him.
Spread: 7
Ratio: 1.4
Spread per minute: .18
Grade: D-
Nikola Jokic
As always, Jokic is so productive in so may ways that do and don’t show up in the stat sheet. His game on Monday was dominant, but I do think the Suns present a unique challenge for the Nuggets that involves Jokic as well as Aaron Gordon. Being led by Kevin Durant, and being a more mid-range focused team than most in the league ran counter to the defensive gameplan the Nuggets have been running with. Nikola, and Deandre when he’s in for him, are playing a lot of drop coverage this season and in concert with that, The defender on screens is going over them. Unfortunately, this led to many, many, many great looks for Kevin Durant and the other members of the Suns. It also led to a lot of fouls, conceded baskets and open kickouts. In the first game, it was something they easily outproduced but combined with the turnovers and clunky offense of the second and it led to a loss.
Spread: 27, 18
Ratio: 3.1, 1.9
Spread per minute: .90, .47
Grade: A, B-
Conclusion
Definitely a rollercoaster experience between the two games but I wouldn’t overreact to either one at this point. A single win likely doesn’t declare the Nuggets BACK but a single loss also doesn’t mean they need to trade everyone and start fresh for the sake of Nikola’s prime. All of that said, I do feel that the general approach of going over screens and playing drop coverage underneath was a failed strategy against a team that inverts the conventional wisdom of mathematically kosher basketball. Moreover, it’s also unfortunate that injuries seem to be preventing any sort of consistency from forming in the team. Jamal missing time, Aaron missing time, Christian missing time or just not performing at the level that we would expect from them all have downstream effects on the rotation, the way the team fits together and the responsibilities people feel that they carry.
Thanks for reading. You can find the full spreadsheet of my grades below and I’ll see you next time!
