Center
STARTER: Jusuf Nurkic (28 minutes)
This is the position I’m most up in the air about. You’d think Jusuf Nurkic would be handed the starter’s job, and the minutes that come with it, as soon as he gets back, but the situation isn’t that cut and dry. For starters, as you’ll see when I talk about Joffrey Lauvergne, the Nuggets’ front court is getting pretty crowded. Plus, I don’t think we can expect Nurkic to be in peak basketball shape from day one.
Nurkic will eventually work himself towards heavy minutes in Malone’s rotation, but it’s probably going to take some time.
BENCH: Joffrey Lauvergne (20 minutes)
Here’s a stat for you: Joffrey Lauvergne is fourth in the NBA in PER (Player Efficiency Rating), only trailing Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin and Russell Westbrook.
I’d say that’s pretty good.
Now, of course, it’s a small sample size, and Lauvergne has already missed three of the Nuggets first six games, but there’s no doubt that he’s been impressive. And if he keeps playing this way, Malone is going to have a hard time keeping him off the court.
