What Nikola Jokic can learn from Nuggets rookie Thomas Welsh

Thomas Welsh’s best weapon on the court is his voice.

The 58th overall pick is reserved off the floor but on it, he’s a chatterbox, constantly alerting his guards of incoming screens and assuring Nikola Jokic or another one of his fellow big men that he’s ready to provide last-second help down low.

Welsh only played seven minutes for the Nuggets before Denver assigned him to the G League, where he debuted for the Capital City Go-Go on Saturday, finishing with seven points, 12 rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes. But when he did play with the Nuggets, his voice carried. In the final 3:57 of the Nuggets win over the Kings, you could hear Welsh’s defensive calls all the way up near the main concourse even though the game’s outcome was already decided by the time he checked in.

Since Welsh is signed under a two-way contract, he can only spend a maximum of 45 days with the Nuggets this year. That means one of Denver’s better talkers, who also packs an elite basketball IQ and midrange jumper that’s been getting stretched out to three-point range into his 6-foot-10 frame, won’t be able to practice with the team for much of the season.

“Probably our best communicator on defense from a big standpoint,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “You can hear him. He does a great job with his communication on that end of the floor.

“He’ll be missed. “He’s got a chance to be a heck of a player.”

Welsh’s baritone voice was a welcomed addition to a roster that has been labeled as quiet in the past. Last month, Nuggets coaches flipped the script on their team during practice and stayed quiet during what players referred to as the “silent drill.” Denver had to play defense for 24 seconds without direction from Michael Malone or help from any of his assistants watching from the sideline.

Communication is vital on defense. The Nuggets and Jokic weren’t doing enough of it.

“Defensive talk is really intimidating,” Malone said. “Would you rather play against a team that’s really quiet or a team that talks.”

Malone’s tactic worked. The Nuggets are communicating on the defensive end of the floor more than they ever have at any point over the last three seasons and have the league’s third-best defense through nine games.

At the center of Denver improved defense is Millsap, who’s playing like a defensive player of the year candidate so far this year. Next to him is Jokic, who looks like a much-improved defender from a season ago.

While he’s made strides as a communicator, it’s still one area where Jokic struggles. The fact that English is his second language doesn’t make it any easier on the big man.

“He talks, but he’s got to be able to project his voice and be a little louder with his talking,” said Malone. “We always preach talk early, loud and continuous.”

Welsh will never be Jokic, who came into the NBA with a feel for the game well beyond his years and a passing touch that hasn’t been seen from a big man since Arvydas Sabonis. Jokic is a slow-mo Magic Johnson. Welsh isn’t. But his homework assignment while in the G League is to play more like Jokic. If Welsh can get comfortable facilitating the offense from the elbows and the three-point line like Denver’s bigs do, he’ll have a better chance to someday crack the Nuggets’ rotation.

“Being able to handle the ball at the top of the key and make good decisions and just continue to work on my post game, coaches want me to work on that,” Welsh told BSN Denver. I think those will be two big things for me but I mean I’m really just trying to look at the G League as a really great opportunity. To me, that’s what it is. I’ll be able to get a lot of really good minutes against some really good players and it will just be a really good opportunity for me to get a lot of good experience out there.”

Jokic and Welsh are two players at vastly different points in their careers. One could be headed towards his first All-Star game this season. The other will likely spend most of the year in the G League battling night after night against other NBA hopefuls who are also looking to secure full-time contracts.

But they can still take cues from one another. Jokic can learn a lot from his understudy when it comes to effectively communicating on the floor and Welsh can take notes from the Nuggets’ franchise cornerstone on how to play as a modern-day NBA big man, as he works diligently to improve his game 1,700 miles away from Denver in Washington D.C.