Who is in the Nuggets' playoff rotation?

Each weekday, our DNVR Nuggets crew will be tackling one question about the Nuggets season in a round table format. Members, leave the questions that you’d like to see our writers answer in the comments section below and Harrison, Adam and Brendan will address them on an upcoming episode of the DNVR Nuggets Podcast.

Who will be included in the Nuggets’ playoff rotation?

Brendan Vogt: Jokić, Murray, Barton, Millsap, Harris, Grant + three-man platoon of Craig, Porter Jr, Plumlee

Four bigs are one too many for a playoff rotation and given the importance of Jerami Grant to the Nuggets’ title hopes, that leaves Mason Plumlee as the odd man out. The easy decision would be to omit him altogether, but he’s a Malone-player through and through, and his head coach will find time for him if he can. There may be individual matchups where his size proves useful—like a series with the Los Angeles Lakers, for example. But he should see a fairly limited role, whether he plays or not.

The Torrey Craig/Michael Porter Jr. problem becomes more challenging to navigate in the postseason. There are some matchups, like a series with the Houston Rockets or the Portland Trail Blazers—should the Blazers sneak in—in which playing Craig is not just warranted but necessary. He excels in guarding smaller dynamic scorers, like James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Damian Lillard, providing a positive net value despite his offensive limitations. But Porter Jr., of course, raises the Nuggets ceiling with his immense talent and the myriad matchup problems his inclusion might present.

Less than a week after the All-Star break concluded, a reporter asked Michael Malone if he Porter Jr. will be a part of the playoff rotation. Without hesitating, he confirmed that is the plan. But in the games that followed, Porter Jr. couldn’t buy much playing time. At this point, it’s hard to see him as a fixture, but rather a member of a platoon.

Adam Mares: The starters plus Monte, Craig, Grant, and Plumlee.

I wish I could say with confidence that Michael Porter Jr. would be in the mix but I just don’t think it was going to happen. Malone clearly did not trust him and the playoffs are all about trust. I think Torrey Craig would’ve played a lot, especially if Denver would’ve matched up against the Houston Rockets. Monte Morris and Jerami Grants are locks. That leaves Mason Plumlee and Porter who would likely split minutes depending on the matchup with Plumlee getting most of those in a more traditional type rotation.

Harrison Wind: Jokic, Murray, Barton, Millsap, Harris, Grant, Morris (Craig, Plumlee, Porter split the final two rotation spots based on the matchup.)

There are seven locks for the Nuggets’ playoff rotation, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Will Barton, Paul Millsap, Gary Harris, Jerami Grant and Monte Morris, and with how Michael Malone deployed a nine man rotation in last season’s playoffs it would lead you to believe that there are two spots up for grabs. But unlike last year’s postseason run which featured a strict nine man rotation with the same nine players (Jokic, Murray, Barton, Millsap, Harris, Morris, Torrey Craig, Malik Beasley and Mason Plumlee) logging significant minutes in most of Denver’s 14 playoff games, this year’s rotation will likely be more matchup dependent.

If the Nuggets are playing the Houston Rockets in the first round, like Denver is currently slated to, Torrey Craig would surely see heavy minutes guarding James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who Craig has defended really well in the past. The Nuggets haven’t matched up Houston’s small ball look since the trade deadline but it could be tough for Plumlee to get on the floor in that type of series considering Houston’s tallest player in its rotation is the 6-foot-7 Robert Covington. Plumlee could have a more significant role in a playoff series against the Lakers, who regularly deploy seven-footers JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard along with Anthony Davis.

On the Michael Porter Jr. front, I imagine that he’ll technically be a part of Denver’s playoff rotation, but he’d have a really small margin for error. The scenarios that played out during the regular season when Porter played in the first half but didn’t in the second half could resurface. I’d list Craig then Plumlee and then Porter in terms of who will log the most to least total minutes in the playoffs out of those three players.