DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 08: Zeke Nnaji #22 of the Denver Nuggets goes to the basket towards Jake Layman … [+] #10 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the course of the fourth quarter at Ball Area on October 8, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: Person expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or utilizing this {photograph}, consumer is consenting to the phrases and circumstances of the Getty Pictures License Settlement.(Photograph by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Pictures)
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The Denver Nuggets are hoping to a lot improved within the coming season, when each Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr make their returns to the lineup.
Murray, as most bear in mind, tore his ACL throughout his breakout season throughout which he was averaging over 21 factors per recreation and looking out like a future All-Star.
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Porter performed 9 video games final season earlier than a again harm sidelined him for the remainder of the yr. Within the season prior, Porter Jr was additionally on his strategy to stardom, netting 19.0 factors and seven.3 rebounds per recreation.
Nevertheless, even with each Murray and Porter Jr returning, the Nuggets might stand to make use of one other injection of expertise to safeguard themselves. Apparently, they could discover that possibility internally within the agency of Zeke Nnaji.
Capturing upside
Nnaji hasn’t performed a ton throughout his first two seasons, totalling simply 1,095 minutes over 83 whole video games, and averaging 4.9 factors and a couple of.6 rebounds for his profession. So at first look, he would possibly seem like an off-the-wall possibility.
(Do word that Nnaji put up 6.6 factors and three.6 rebounds final season.)
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That mentioned, the 21-year-old has one thing going for him, which the Nuggets might absolutely use. That one thing is an elite three-point shot, that Nnaji has hit at a 43.9% fee over his first two seasons. Final season, he hit 46.3% of his 80 makes an attempt from vary, a depraved proportion for such a younger participant.
Now, granted, the quantity is in fact small. He is taken simply 139 whole photographs from three-point territory over his profession. For comparability’s sake, that is what Stephen Curry takes in about ten video games.
It is also value mentioning this odd stat, which could possibly be each an argument for his capturing, in addition to towards it:
Throughout final season, Nnaji had precisely zero video games the place he hit between 35-49% from vary. He had 12 video games the place he hit all of his makes an attempt, 13 video games the place he hit none of them, and 6 video games of hitting precisely half of them.
The identical holds true for his rookie season. He had seven video games of hitting over 80% of his triples, 14 video games of hitting none, and three video games of splitting even.
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This variance in effectivity might simply be fully random, as he is solely performed 83 profession video games, or it might imply he is the following coming of Dee Brown.
(Brown, who performed within the league from 1990 to 2002, was recognized for being both notoriously sizzling or notoriously chilly. Coaches would typically bench him if he missed photographs early, figuring out it wasn’t his night time, or trip him all recreation lengthy if he began off hitting.)
It does appear honest to lean extra optimistic than skeptical with regard to Nnaji as a result of truth he cracked 40% effectivity from three in each seasons, nonetheless. Moreover, the additions of Murray and Porter Jr ought to make him much more open when he shares the court docket with these two, in addition to two-time MVP Nikola Jokić.
A necessity for measurement
The Nuggets are more likely to depend on Nnaji for one more motive. They merely haven’t got a lot measurement on the ahead spots. They traded away JaMychal Inexperienced, and with Jeff Inexperienced having turned 36, there is not any telling if he will be continously accessible.
Whereas Aaron Gordon continues to be going to occupy the beginning energy ahead slot, there’s not lots of measurement backing him up.
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Bruce Brown, a key acquisition of Denver this summer time, stands 6’5 and is more likely to obtain a ton of minutes on the three together with Porter Jr, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Vlatko Čančar, who’s at the moment taking part in at EuroBasket for Slovenia, has but to completely land a everlasting rotation spot with the Nuggets after three years with the group.
Nnaji would possibly even get a good quantity of minutes at heart, because the Nuggets in a bewildering second signed DeAndre Jordan to again up Jokić.
Jordan’s previous few years have been full of inconsistent play and a excessive diploma of declining high quality. It stands to motive the Nuggets will finally uncover that he is borderline unplayable, and as an alternative plug in Nnaji and his 6’9 body to area the ground out on the heart spot.
Lastly, there is not any assure that Porter Jr goes to keep up his well being. His again has prompted a number of accidents, even relationship again to his school days at Missouri, and he has solely 125 profession video games to his identify, after being drafted in 2018.
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For Nnaji, his probabilities of breaking out and changing into a full-time 25-minute participant, boils right down to constant capturing and a capability to mesh with the gamers on the ground, no matter Jokić is on the market or not.
Defensively, Nnaji additionally must take the following step. He is proven the power to hold with smaller gamers holding a reside dribble, and he is proven he can persist with bigger gamers and maintain his personal. However as soon as once more, this has been via smaller pattern sizes, and his effort hasn’t at all times been constant.
Whereas an absence of defensive consistency is completely regular for gamers in his age group, it is however an space he must be put forth extra effort to face out, and carve out his personal function.
Coming into his third season, it is honest to imagine Nnaji now is aware of what is anticipated of him, and it is as much as him to grab the prospect.
Except famous in any other case, all stats through NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleansing the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All wage data through Spotrac. All odds through FanDuel Sportsbook.
On Sunday, fans will be treated to a head-to-head contest between two rapidly emerging offensive powerhouses, both of whom are bonafide Rookie of the Year contenders. Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers found new homes with consecutive picks during last April’s NFL draft, and since then, they’ve performed exceptionally well in the pro ranks.
Nix is firmly on the radar of Raiders head coach Antonio Piece, but that’s even more true after yet another award-winning performance last week.
“He was a winner as a freshman. He was a winner as a six-year player,” Pierce noted of Nix. “All he does is win, come in the league. Won the quarterback battle there in Denver. Maybe they were keeping them tight on the leash early on, and now they’re not. He has full control that offense. You can see that Sean Payton gives him opportunities to audible and make some adjustments. He’s making throws, he’s running with his legs, he’s taking care of the football, and he’s winning. That’s all you can ask for from a rookie.”
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Nix presents a clear and present danger to the Raiders’ chances of squeezing out what would be only their third win of their massively disappointing season. Stopping the impressive rookie is proving to be another matter entirely for NFL defenses, especially one with a badly beaten-up roster like the Raiders.
“This is crazy,” Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo said via ESPN‘s Paul Gutierrez. “I’ve never seen this amount of injuries on any team I’ve been on.”
This week, Broncos head coach Sean Payton has pumped the brakes a little on the burgeoning hype exploding around Nix. That being said, you get the distinct feeling that Payton is more than comfortable unleashing Nix’s full array of talents at his disposal. Confidence is growing in Nix, and that’s been reflected in how Payton has opened up the playbook for his first-year signal-caller.
The juices are flowing, and Payton may have found an answer in dynamic second-year receiver Marvin Mims Jr. The mystical “joker” role within the Broncos offense seems to have been filled.
“I think we always gotta be saying, ‘Hey, are we doing everything we can to highlight his strengths?’ And so, yeah, I don’t know if he’s got the ‘joker’ tattoo, but he might be invited to the club,” Payton said via Andrew Mason.
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When push comes to shove, if Nix plays lights out again, an easy win might come Denver’s way, but stopping Bowers would also ensure the victory and help in the race for Rookie of the Year honors. Payton is already on high alert, but it was also tinged with a bit of football envy when he illustrated Bowers’ “joker” abilities.
“Someone had a really good vision for him and you see all the ‘Joker’ traits, means and change of direction,” Payton said of Bowers. “It can’t be a little. It’s a high-end receiving trait and he can move, he can be outside and he can run a route tree maybe different than most tight ends.”
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New York Knicks (9-7, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (9-6, fifth in the Western Conference)
Denver; Monday, 9 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets host the New York Knicks in a non-conference matchup.
The Nuggets have gone 5-3 at home. Denver ranks sixth in the Western Conference with 12.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Jokic averaging 4.4.
The Knicks are 4-5 in road games. New York ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference allowing only 112.4 points while holding opponents to 47.3% shooting.
The Nuggets are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.5 percentage points higher than the 47.3% the Knicks allow to opponents. The Knicks average 14.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.2 more made shots on average than the 13.1 per game the Nuggets allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Nuggets.
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Jalen Brunson is averaging 25.1 points and 7.4 assists for the Knicks.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 118.4 points, 45.5 rebounds, 31.6 assists, 8.7 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.7 points per game.
Knicks: 6-4, averaging 120.3 points, 42.9 rebounds, 29.9 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.5 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: out (calf), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).
Knicks: Precious Achiuwa: out (hamstring), Miles McBride: day to day (knee), Mitchell Robinson: out (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Could the Brooklyn Nets’ No. 1 scoring option team up with a two-time league MVP?
According to Paul Pierce, it’s possible.
On a recent episode of “Ticket & The Truth,” the former Boston Celtics star suggested a move from Brooklyn to the Denver Nuggets for Cam Thomas to provide the 2023 NBA Champions with a depth boost.
“Alright, let me put my GM hat on,” Pierce said. “I think right now, for Cam, I’d like to see him off the bench for Denver. …Because they need that spark plug off the bench.”
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He may want to take that hat off.
The Nuggets do not have an asset they’d be willing to part ways with that would entice the Nets enough to move off of a 23-year-old who’s turning in over 24 points per game. And even if Denver were to offer a king’s ransom of draft capital, as long as Nikola Jokic is healthy a Nuggets’ choice will never hold much value.
Oct 29, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets small guard Cam Thomas (24) shoots the ball against the Denver Nuggets during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
When reports suggested Thomas could be available in negotiations, they didn’t mean Brooklyn was looking to give him away. The return would have to warrant the transaction, and a hypothetical package consisting of Christian Braun and two first-round picks (no offense Christian) won’t be enough to entice Sean Marks.
The Nets shouldn’t look to move Thomas until a can’t-say-no deal emerges. Until then, let him continue to drop nearly 25 a night on the opposition and revisit any potential thoughts of trading the electrifying scorer at February’s deadline.
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