DNVR Player Grades: Nuggets giving the doubters ammunition

The Denver Nuggets have won 40 games. They’ve played as well against teams with winning records as virtually any contender. They have wins that stand up with the best by any side all season long — like a shorthanded win in Milwaukee on the second night of a back-to-back, or ‘The Seven’ marching through the mountains into Salt Lake City, and back out with the dub. They’ve shown they can run with just about anyone, but they’ve done it all when nobody is looking.

Everyone was watching when the Los Angeles Clippers dragged them behind the woodshed on Friday night and handed them a 132-103 loss on national television.

We have to keep that small market energy in check now. Folks aren’t watching the Nuggets on either coast and when they do, they don’t show up. The Nuggets are “frauds,” the Nuggets are “pretenders.” Can you blame the Charles Barkleys of the world? The Mark Jacksons?

They might be wrong. Those of us who watch all 82 know it’s uncharacteristic of this team to fold the way they have in the national spotlight. But I only see a lot of teams in this league play under that same spotlight. That’s my relationship to a handful of talented and capable squads that deserve more of my attention. If I saw what Denver’s detractors saw — well, I’d probably be in the same boat.

The Denver Nuggets aren’t soft. The Denver Nuggets do know how to battle through adversity. But they had another chance to prove that on the biggest stage, and they wilted. The doubters have all the ammunition they need.

The loudest storyline through the night and into the morning, as it’s been so many times before, was the playing time of Michael Porter Jr. He was on the court for just seven minutes in the loss, three coming in garbage time.

After the All-Star break, a media member asked head coach Michael Malone if Porter Jr. will be a part of the playoff rotation. Malone was clear: Porter Jr. is a part of the postseason plan. Strange then, that he’s been chained to the bench in the games that have followed.

To be clear, the Nuggets were not MPJ away from a different result. Outside of Nikola Jokić, no one looked ready to deliver a win. The only other starter who filled the box score to some capacity was Will Barton III, but he struggled as a ball-handler and decision-maker all night.

They didn’t lose by thirty because a de facto rookie was on the bench. But they may never reach their ceiling this season if Malone doesn’t take the training wheels off.

Let’s go to the grades:

Honor Roll

Nikola Jokić – A-

The Nuggets wasted what had the makings of an All-Time night from their best player. Jokić had the touch and that look in his eye, single-handedly holding his team above water as they teetered on getting blown out in the first half. That resistance was ultimately futile, and he only played 25 minutes, yet dropped 23 points on 9-13 shooting. He was ready to carry his teammates, but they couldn’t even climb on his back.

The Class

Jerami Grant – C+

Grant scored 20 points but was 5-of-15 from the field. He played a team-high 29 minutes in a matchup that required his length and was leaned on heavily after Millsap picked up a knock in the first half. Grant could not make the same defensive impact as he did in the win over the Clippers in Denver and struggled from the floor, but at least played like he wanted to win. He was 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, a reflection of his high motor and competitiveness.

Will Barton III – C

Barton III was 4-of-5 from deep and shot 50% from the floor on his way to 18 points. He grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists. That sounds like a decent night, but the eye test revealed a seemingly rattled player who struggled in his decision making and turned the ball over four times.

Mason Plumlee – C

Plumlee didn’t play poorly in his 18 minutes. He grabbed 8 rebounds and didn’t turn the ball over. But it’s still hard to imagine why he played 18 minutes in a matchup that theoretically called for more length than height. Would Plumlee be in the rotation if this were a playoff game?

Monte Morris – C-

Morris scored 7 points and recorded 3 assists in 22 minutes. He was a non-factor in this game.

Principal’s Office

Jamal Murray – D+

This grade comes relative to expectations. Murray had been on a tear, perhaps the most encouraging stretch of strong play that he has strung together yet in his young career. Denver needed him to play at that level, to be one of the best players on the floor. But he shrank. Murray wasn’t a threat from deep; he couldn’t penetrate off the dribble and failed to make his teammates better. He can be better, and Denver will need him to be.

Gary Harris – D+

Harris drew the Kawhi Leonard assignment, and Leonard was quiet. But that had more to do with the flow of the game than a dominant defensive performance. The Clippers are a tough matchup for Harris — their two elite players are big and strong wings. Without Lou Williams on the floor, there’s no one he’s well suited to lock down truly. Without that defensive impact, well — the starters are playing four on five on the offensive end.

Torrey Craig – D+

Craig played 19 minutes in a game the Nuggets lost by 29 points. He scored just four points. The defense-first approach thing didn’t exactly work out.

Paul Millsap – D

Millsap was 0-2 from the field in 20 minutes. He struggled on defense and was next to useless on offense. Millsap doesn’t match up well with Los Angeles even if he hadn’t hurt himself in the first half. He stayed in the game and appears to be fine, but it was not his night.