Wind Chimes: Why Davon Reed was the Nuggets' choice to bolster their depleted backcourt

Welcome to Wind Chimes, a notebook of reporting, observations and analysis from me about what I’ve seen, heard and talked to people around the team about over the last week.

After a 9-point, 2-rebound, 2-assist showing vs. the OKC Thunder in Denver’s preseason finale where Davon Reed also flashed the punctual point of attack defense that helped him land on the Nuggets’ radar in the first place, Michael Malone made his declaration.

“In my heart, I think he’s an NBA player. I really do,” Malone said of Reed. “I think he has all the physical tools as well as the overall skill level to be an NBA player.”

It wasn’t the first time Reed had impressed the Nuggets and Malone. He played a leading role on Denver’s Summer League team and averaged 11 points and shot 56% from 3 on four 3-point attempts per game during the Vegas showcase. He was solid again for Denver throughout training camp and the preseason.

Now, Reed’s back with the Nuggets on a 10-day contract to be a savior of sorts as Denver finds its backcourt depleted. Jamal Murray is still at least a couple of months away from a return. PJ Dozier is gone for the season. Michael Porter Jr. is out for the foreseeable future and maybe the entire year. Bones Hyland and Austin Rivers are stuck in COVID protocols. The Nuggets needed a guard that could play right away.

In Reed, Denver added a familiar face who played with the Nuggets this summer and throughout training camp. His familiarity with Malone and Denver’s system, a source told DNVR, was one of the central factors that made Reed the choice over, for example, Lance Stephenson or a free agent guard. There are aspects of Grand Rapids’ offensive and defensive schemes that are similar to Denver’s, but Reed knew the Nuggets’ terminology and philosophy from training camp. Reed’s also more of a ball-handling guard, whereas Stephenson is more of a wing. Rewarding someone on the Gold was also appealing to Denver.

Reed’s defense was also something that made him an attractive option over other potential additions, a source told DNVR. The 6-foot-5 guard has a rep as a strong all-around defender and tallied two steals vs. the Knicks in 24 minutes off the bench. Both came after timely defensive rotations.

Here’s what one NBA scout told DNVR regarding Reed: “He can guard the ball and stop dribble penetration. He’s really versatile. He can play the 1, 2, and 3 and can fit in a lot of different lineups. He’s really improved over the last couple of years. If he’s healthy, he can be an NBA player.”

Reed was originally drafted 32nd overall by the Suns in 2017 and appeared in 21 games for Phoenix that season after returning from a January meniscus. He played mostly garbage time but made a good enough impression as a rookie and at Summer League the following offseason for the Suns to guarantee his contract for another year. However, Reed was waived when Phoenix signed veteran Jamal Crawford just before the 2018-19 season. Over the last couple of years he’s bounced between several G League teams and played last season in Taiwan.

In seven G League games for the Gold this season, Reed averaged 15 points (45.5 FG%, 42.9 3P%), 8.3 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. The 26-year-old doesn’t have the ceiling that we think Dozier might have, but he plays a similar brand of basketball with a better-looking jumper. Historically, Reed hasn’t been much of a 3-point shooter — he never shot higher than 34% from 3 over his three previous G League seasons — but the New Jersey native has been lights out from distance this year.

Reed went 3-3 from 3-point range in his Nuggets debut (one of those was banked in from the wing). He also had four assists. None of them were flashy. They were just smart, simple, correct reads. He’s a total Malone guy who plays the game the right way.

More Chimes

Zeke the 3eak: As I wrote Saturday, it really feels like Zeke Nnaji has locked in a rotation spot for the time being. He’s just been really freaking good and is quickly establishing chemistry with Nikola Jokic (more on that here too).

Here’s how Nnaji ranks among other second-year players:

1st in PER – 21.4 (LaMelo Ball is 2nd)
1st in TS% – 70.5%
1st in 3pt% – 63%
11th in scoring – 8.2 ppg
6th in FG% – 53.8%
35th in total minutes played – 142

Nnaji also leads the NBA in 3-point percentage out of players who are attempting at least 2.5 3s per game. It’s a small sample — Nnaji’s currently 17-27 (63%) from distance — but if he continues to shoot like this, he’ll remain the first big off the Nuggets’ bench.

Injury expert Jeff Stotts on MPJ: Stotts, who’s cataloged over 1,200 NBA injuries into his database that goes back to 2005-06, had this to say about Michael Porter Jr.’s prognosis last week: “Nearly three out of every four NBA players to undergo disc-related surgery report additional back problems at some point during their career & roughly 25% need an additional procedure. This will be Porter’s 3rd surgery. — Other players to require multiple back surgeries include Quentin Richardson, Rudy Fernandez, & Martell Webster.”

(Porter’s first two back surgeries in 2017 and 2018 were microdiscectomies. The Nuggets haven’t specified if this was the same surgery he’s previously had or a different one.)

NBA rehab and medical teams are more advanced now than they’ve ever been and Porter, who’s only 23, has shown that he has the discipline and work ethic to take on the rehab from back surgery before. But for the sake of it, I researched the three players that Stotts mentioned and how their careers went after their multiple back surgeries.

Quentin Richardson — Had his second microdiscectomy during the 2011 offseason at 30-years-old. Went on to play in 48 games during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season and averaged 4.5 points in 18 minutes per game. Played one game in 2012-13 and sparingly in the playoffs for the Knicks before retiring.

Rudy Fernandez — Had his second back surgery in March of 2012 at 26-years-old after a microdiscectomy in 2009. Then left the NBA for Europe where he’s still playing. Averaged 26 minutes per game for Real Madrid in 2012-13 after and has been playing in Spain for the last 11 seasons. Still averaging 16.5 minutes per game at 36-years-old.

Martell Webster –– Had his third microdiscectomy during the 2014 offseason at 27-years-old. Averaged 11 minutes across 32 games for Washington during the 2014-15 season. Battled lower body and hip injuries over the next few seasons but never played another NBA game and officially retired a couple of years later.

Checking in on the Nuggets’ franchise leaderboard: Will Barton is on pace to pass JR Smith for the most 3-pointers in franchise history this season. He needs to make 71 3s over Denver’s remaining 60 games to claim the No. 1 spot. Barton’s averaging 2.5 triples per game this season and has only missed two of Denver’s first 22 games. He could pass Smith after his next 28 or 29 games if he continues on his current pace.

• Jokic is 18 rebounds behind Alex English for the fourth-most in franchise history.
• Jokic recently passed Ty Lawson for the fourth-most assists in franchise history. He’s 173 behind Andre Miller for 3rd place.