The Denver Nuggets are two weeks away from kicking off the regular season against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 24th.
After returning from Abu Dhabi and having their first practice stateside, the Nuggets have plenty of time before their next preseason game, Sunday, October 13th against the Phoenix Suns. In that time, they will try and get their legs under them again and work on their chemistry on the court. Part of that chemistry? Understanding how to play in different lineup combinations with new faces in new places.
Here are five lineups that I want to see in the next couple of weeks and throughout the regular season that played a combined five minutes last season:
Jamal Murray, Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic
5 Minutes played in 2023-24
The above quintet is possibly the most important staggered lineup the Nuggets will play this season. Two young players in Strawther and Watson are expected to be consistent contributors this season and going forward. How will it be possible to figure out if they can be helpful in a playoff environment? Well, playing them with Jokic, Murray, and Porter is a great start. Watson is the do-everything defensive option in this lineup, playing the small forward spot and allowing Porter to move to a stretch power forward role. That will be useful in a playoff environment against teams packing the paint with Aaron Gordon on the floor.
But the real kicker is Strawther. Can he relieve pressure from Jamal Murray in a lineup like this? Can he shoot efficiently from the floor? Can he hold up defensively next to Murray when neither player is inclined toward tough assignments in the backcourt? Watson can’t do everything, and it will be on one of those two, likely Strawther, to improve defensively and be ready when his number is called.
I want to see this lineup play significant time in the regular season. Whether it’s a staggering option or a lineup Denver gets to in the fourth quarter doesn’t matter. If the Nuggets believe Strawther and Watson will play in the playoffs this year, this has to happen at some point.
Russell Westbrook, Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Michael Porter Jr. Dario Saric
Zero minutes played in 2023-24
My favorite bench lineup at the beginning of the season sees Michael Porter Jr. with the second unit rather than Jamal Murray. Allowing Westbrook to set the table for others will establish a solid pecking order with this group. Also, Porter is a better off-ball spacer than Murray, who often prefers to catch the ball and create rather than simply catch-and-fire.
The concept of “let Russ be Russ” is a good one with this bench as well. Porter is a great transition threat for Westbrook to use, as are Strawther and Watson. When in the halfcourt, Westbrook getting to the paint with Saric lurking and Porter spacing should give the Nuggets an action that defines the second unit minutes. It won’t always work, but it should work enough times throughout the season to be functional.
There will be times when Murray runs with this group instead of Porter of course, and I worry about the lack of size across the board. There’s only so much shotmaking Murray can provide that would turn the above bench quartet into a positive. Porter is clearly better suited positionally.
Russell Westbrook, Julian Strawther, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Dario Saric
Zero minutes played in 2023-24
Here’s another primarily bench unit that the Nuggets could go to in a pinch. Aaron Gordon replaces Peyton Watson from the above unit and makes this group look even bigger and stronger. I see this as an interesting playoff counter against a team that runs an elite frontcourt player with the second unit. For example: against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans, it makes much more sense for Gordon to match Zion’s minutes, which would free up Watson to guard perimeter players like Dejounte Murray and Brandon Ingram in other lineups.
More than anything though, the Nuggets need to see the Gordon-Saric pairing a bit. In many of the ways Gordon-Jokic is good, I think Gordon-Saric could be a great bench duo at times. Interior scoring, high-low passing, and offensive versatility against various bench units would allow for different combinations in the Jokic minutes.
Last year, Jokic and Gordon shared the floor for just over 87% of Gordon’s minutes. That’s too high, and it doesn’t allow for the Nuggets to experiment enough with other playoff combinations they will use. The Nuggets have to find a lineup with Gordon and Saric that they like this year.
Jamal Murray, Trey Alexander, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Zero minutes played in 2023-24
This one is a bit off the wall, but there’s a reason I’m including Trey Alexander here. The Nuggets don’t have a lot of ball handling or creation on their team. Russell Westbrook is a specific fit for lineups next to Jokic and Murray and needs more spacing than what Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon would provide. Julian Strawther can do some of it, but he doesn’t have strong defensive instincts or measurables.
That’s not to say Alexander will be awesome in such a role immediately, but I believe he’s a strong enough talent to warrant some playing time. Most of that will come in deep bench lineups if it ever comes at all, but part of me wants to see what he can do next to Murray and Jokic. He’s a reasonable facsimile of Will Barton, who the Nuggets lost after trading for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. That combination of perimeter length, athleticism, and shot creation is useful for any team, but especially a team like Denver that lacks a suitable secondary ball handler next to Murray.
In addition, Alexander has good defensive instincts and a 6’10” wingspan. Pairing him with Braun and Gordon on defense gives the Nuggets three solid defenders to work with around Jokic and Murray.
Russell Westbrook, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic
Zero minutes played in 2023-24
Finally, this is a lineup the Nuggets might start going to after the first 15 games of the season or so. Midway through the first quarter, Denver’s sixth man often entered the game for Jamal Murray in years past. That allowed Murray to return to the floor after a short rest and stagger with the second unit.
With Russell Westbrook this year, that doesn’t make as much sense, as noted above. So, why not go smaller and play Westbrook in place of Aaron Gordon? Porter is readymade to slide to power forward for brief moments. Christian Braun played small forward last year. What’s stopping the Nuggets from playing such a lineup around Jokic, Murray, and Westbrook? Westbrook could run middle pick-and-rolls with Jokic, driving into a spaced floor and causing defenses to rotate. If opponents rotate off any of Jokic, Murray, or Porter for any reason, that’s already a win for Denver.
It’s a wrinkle the Nuggets may need to explore at times, a lineup similar to the first one I wrote about. This one involves multiple point guards though and is something that Denver lacked last year. Here’s to them rediscovering how to play two point guards at the same time.