5 observations from the Nuggets 88-82 Summer League victory over the Timberwolves

The Denver Nuggets opened Summer League with a come from behind 88-82 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Here are five things I noticed.

Gary Harris is not messing around

Harris had the look of someone who’s about to enter his third year in the NBA and still playing at Summer League. How the Nuggets got him to play in las Vegas, I’ll never know, but he quickly realized he was the best player on the floor tonight and was brimming with confidence on nearly every possession. Harris was aggressive whenever he got a touch on offense and was active defensively, getting in passing lanes and digging down for steals all night. Harris showed he’s in shape, still playing a high level and I’d be good with shutting him down from here on out and giving Murray even more run. He finished with 22 points on 16 shots and was 2-6 from deep. Harris is the starting two guard in Denver, at least begin the year and should remain in that spot unless he struggles for a long period of time.

Emmanuel Mudiay is himself

Mudiay didn’t play his best, but he didn’t play his worst and picked up where he left off at the end of last season. His handle looked a lot tighter and he definitely worked on it over the summer, one aspect of his game he needed to improve upon. Even more encouraging was his developing chemistry with Harris which is evolving and evident both on and off the court. His shot looks better too – smoother and more consistent. Mudiay scored a team-high 23 points and dished out six dimes and also had eight rebounds – a well-rounded game from the 20-year-old. I’d look for Mudiay to get substantial playing time against Memphis, Saturday, but might Denver might shut him down after that

Juancho Hernangomez needs another year in Europe

From the opening tip, Hernangomez looked like a deer in headlights – which is fine, because he was probably going to spend another year in Europe regardless of how he played in Las Vegas. The scouting report remained true to Hernangomez tonight; he aggressively looked for contact and went 7-10 from the line, displayed the ball-handling skills of a guard, and showed glimpses of an innate basketball IQ, but defensively he struggled. He was pushed around and specifically under the basket often by a bigger Timberwolve’s front line, mainly Adrien Payne, and had a rough time on that end of the floor all night. He recovered well in the second half, had some precise cuts, mainly one in the third quarter that he finished with a dunk. After that, Hernangomez didn’t play much but looked more relaxed and loose in the second half and even had a couple nice buckets in the fourth quarter.

Jamal Murray looked off

Jamal Murray didn’t see a ton of touches playing off the ball as the Nuggets put Emmanuel Mudiay in ball screens throughout much of the first half. I’m not going to say he looked frustrated but didn’t look himself. Denver put the ball in his hands more after halftime and Murray looked like he got into more of a rhythm, but his shot was off and soon he was relegated back to the corner with Mudiay running pick-and-rolls. This might be the type of deal where Murray gets the reigns of the offense in game three, four or maybe even game two, but it was clear from the jump that coach Micah Nori wanted the ball in Mudiay’s hands as much as possible. Murray had a better second half, hit a corner three and scored on a nifty runner in the lane, but I’d expect better things from him later on in Summer League. He did finish with 14 points on 5-12 shooting.

Jimmer Fredette is the main attraction for Denver

Even on a team with Emmanuel Mudiay and Jamal Murray, the Thomas & Mack Center crowd came for Fredette. They nearly gave him a standing ovation when he entered the game and almost lost it when he dropped off a nifty bounce pass to Ondrej Balvin who finished with a flush in the first half. From there, whenever Fredette touched the ball, the energy in the building was lifted. The crowd almost got mad at Gary Harris for not passing to an open Fredette in the corner on a fastbreak and stood in unison whenever he had an open look. Fredette played nearly 17 minutes, scored just four points, but was heavily involved in the offense when he was out there.

***Kris Dunn is one of the most confident rookies I’ve seen at Summer League in some time. He nearly sent JaKarr Sampson out of the arena with a nasty crossover and was going at it with Mudiay, Harris and the rest of the Denver backcourt all night. Really impressive opening night showing from the No. 5 pick.