Strike 2: Everyone, from the top national pundits all the way down to local spaces like this, said the same thing before the NBA season: The defending champion Denver Nuggets would have to rely on youngsters to fill the bench void left by the departures of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, two key veterans who left for “greener” pastures after helping win the NBA title.
Christian Braun. Peyton Watson. Zeke Nnaji, plus newcomers like Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett and Hunter Tyson. Who among this group was going to step up and fill those voids?
What if the answer is “none of the above” and the Nuggets are still more than okay?
What if the answer is some combo of “Mr. November” Reggie Jackson, Justin Holiday and DeAndre Jordan? What if these veterans can become the most important pieces on Michael Malone’s bench, while allowing the young guys to mature into their roles at a no-pressure pace?
Perhaps the right recipe for a repeat?
During the late November five-game road trip, Nuggets coach Michael Malone relied more on the youngsters as the key reserves (with Jackson starting for the injured Jamal Murray.) They answered the bell in Detroit against the lowly Pistons, but were not very good in the four losses. Ever since, Malone has turned to not only Jackson, who’s filled in more than admirably as a starter, but also to Jordan – who for reasons unknown to most outside the offices at Ball Arena has been a forgotten big man off the Nuggets bench for most of his time here. Then there’s Holiday, the well-traveled 11-year veteran (who has a ring from his days with Golden State) who has seen his minutes and his production go up significantly since the end of that bad roadie. He’s been a more consistent 3-point threat that the hot-and-cold Michael Porter Jr.
His steady hand has helped the entire bench get better.
With Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon joining Murray in missing a quick trip to LA, the Nuggets finally turned to Jordan and Holiday to fill in the starting lineup. The result was an improbable road win over the full strength Clippers. The Jackson-Jordan tandem was sensational.
Jordan as the main backup for Jokic makes far more sense than force-feeding the undersized Nnaji into that role. Nnaji is far better suited for a wing/forward role than he is as a center. (Getting an additional big at the trade deadline to help lessen the burden on the aging Jordan should still be a priority.)
Imagine a postseason rotation of Jordan (for Joker) Jackson (for Jamal) and Holiday (for AG/MPJ) that allowed Malone to pick and choose when/if to insert Braun, Watson, Strawther or Nnaji? The veteran trio allows for much less of a drop off and a far more consistent performance when some or even all of the starters aren’t on the floor together.
Denver will need to continue to need to develop the young guys, which will ultimately result in them becoming a deeper team as the season wears on. That’s going to be critical because even with Gordan returning and Murray coming back, those aren’t going to be the last injuries the Nuggets will be forced to deal with as the season progresses. Depth is going to be among the most important elements in the quest for a second straight title.
It should be very reassuring that even if the younger players aren’t quite ready for the spotlight of an NBA postseason next spring, Denver already has three veterans who are.
