2018 Player Reviews: Wilson Chandler's confusing year

Nikola Jokic was asked about the Nuggets’ coaching when he launched into the non sequitur.

“Wilson didn’t score last night,” Jokic said. “I think he played really hard. He cares. He’s one of my favorite guys to play with because he doesn’t look like he’s emotional, but he really cares. He’s playing his ass off.”

The question posed to Jokic, which was about Nuggets coach Michael Malone, didn’t have much to do with Wilson Chandler, the player Jokic brought up in his answer. It was almost as if Jokic wanted to get something off his chest before he headed out for the summer.

Chandler was a polarizing player among the Nuggets’ fan base. Some accused him of looking disinterested and aloof out on the court. Others said his contributions didn’t always show up in the box score. Which was it?

In the do-or-die game against Minnesota, Chandler scored zero points on 0-3 shooting. He became just the third player in NBA history alongside Dennis Rodman and Horace Grant to log 48 minutes or more and go scoreless. He also grabbed nine rebounds and was one of three Denver players to finish as a net positive in plus-minus. (Chandler and Devin Harris were both a plus-1, while Jokic was a plus-7.)

Chandler averaged the fewest points of his career (10.0 ppg) since his rookie season if you exclude the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season he only played eight games in. A capable slasher for his size, he took only 1.5 trips to free throw line per game, which was down from 2.7 in 2016-17. Some of that dip in production can be attributed to the fact that his role was radically different. Chandler was the fifth scoring option in the Nuggets’ starting lineup behind Jokic, Paul Millsap, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray. In the season before Millsap arrived, Denver primarily used Chandler as a scorer and creator off the bench.

It should also be noted that Chandler was noticeably better on offense after the trade deadline. He averaged 8.8 points on 41.4 percent shooting in 48 games prior to Feb. 8. In the 26 games afterward, he averaged 12.2 points on 48.8 percent shooting. Chandler’s name was frequently mentioned in trade rumors; the certainty of knowing where he’d finish the season could have helped him settle in.

“At least you know the rest of the year where you’ll be at,” Chandler said Feb. 14 after scoring 17 points in a win over the Spurs. “You kind of just go out and just play. The team decides what happens at the end of the season, and you do the same thing.”

Chandler has until June 24 to make a decision on his $12.8 million player option next season. If he opts in, he’ll likely slide back in as Denver’s starting small forward. Denver will need to get creative and find another option if he chooses to hit the open market.

Chandler’s 2017-18 season was difficult to evaluate. He was the best wing defender on a defensively challenged Nuggets team. Denver didn’t have many good options besides him to throw on LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons or Giannis Antetokounmpo. Asking Will Barton or Juancho Hernanogmez to check those guys for big minutes would’ve been a disaster, and relying on Paul Millsap would’ve created matchup problems for Denver elsewhere.

How do you weigh his defensive versatility against the sense that in so many moments he could’ve contributed more? It could be decades before another player joins Chandler, Rodman and Grant in that ignominious club of three.

Jokic made it clear how he feels about Chandler at his exit interview. In a couple weeks, we’ll find out how Chandler feels about giving it at least another year in Denver.

FINAL LINE: 10.0 PTS, 44.5 FG%, 35.8 3P%, 5.4 REBS, 2.2 ASTS, 0.5 BLKS, 0.6 STLS, 1.2 TOVS