The List: Jerami Grant has a great feel for playing the dunker spot alongside Nikola Jokic

“The List” is a brand new series that serves as a companion piece for the “Notebook” episodes of the Locked on Nuggets podcast and the DNVR Nuggets podcast. In this edition, I share some notes on the win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday.

1. This was the first chance we’ve gotten to see Jerami Grant play extended minutes alongside Nikola Jokic and one of the things that I was most curious to watch was just how well Grant spaced the court from the dunker spot, the area along the baseline between the block and the three point line. On the very first play of the game, Grant demonstrated phenomenal timing and attention to detail in creating an open lane for Gary Harris to drive to the basket.

2. On the second possession of the game, Grant demonstrated another dunker spot instinct, creating a tiny bit of extra spacing at the exact right moment to open up tight passing lanes for Nikola Jokic, one of the best passers in tight spaces in the NBA.

3. Here is another example of Grant’s attention to detail and perfect timing with his off-ball movements.

4. It’s not just that Grant possesses the tools to put pressure on the rim from the dunker spot and spread out the defense around the perimeter, it’s that he combines those two skills with a willingness to work hard off-ball and an understanding of how to constantly occupy his defender in a way that diminishes the defense’s ability to provide help in the paint. Just watch him move between the dunker and the wing, the left side of the floor and the right.

5. The Nuggets’ ability to have any of the five players on the court grab a rebound and go end to end is a huge advantage in transition. Those possessions speed up the game and force the defense into mismatches in transition. Denver did a great job of creating those mismatches and exploiting them in the halfcourt or, as is the case in this example, they did a great job of scoring before the defense could ever get set.

6. Michael Porter Jr.’s length and vertical athleticism really helps improve his defensive impact, especially on closeouts in the corner and on the wing. Just watch how well he is able to contest these kickouts and how much ground he can cover in quick order.

7. The clip below would’ve been unthinkable 20 years ago. Denver’s center, Mason Plumlee quarterbacks the fast break. The team’s point guard, Monte Morris slashes toward the basket before kickout out to the shooting guard, Will Barton in the corner who finds the team’s power forward trailing the play for a wide open three. Like clip #5, this is a great example of how much chaos Denver can cause in transition with skilled players and shooters at every position.

8. This was Porter Jr.’s best defensive effort of the season. He was clearly dialed in and focused on giving full effort and valuing all of the details. He still made plenty of mistakes but the effort was clearly there, as illustrated nicely in this play where he quickly reads a backside switch and uses his size to contest the three-point shot on the closeout.

9. Yesterday, I wrote about how Jokic appeared to be throwing a turnover at the spot Paul Millsap should’ve been. On Tuesday he did the same thing with Jamal Murray. To Murray’s credit, he’s usually very good at reading this 5-1 inverted pick-and-roll but on this possession, Jokic assumed Murray would slip into the wide open paint when his defender, Ricky Rubio, showed high on the screen. Murray froze and Jokic got a turnover.

10. In the clip below you really get a sense for the amount of space the Nuggets can create with some of their taller lineups. With Will Barton, Grant, and Porter Jr. on the court alongside Murray and Mason Plumlee, the Nuggets are able to glue defenders to the perimeter as they run an easy side pick-and-roll to get to the basket.