Move over Paul Millsap: Mason Plumlee is making a case as Denver's most valuable defender

Another stout defensive performance from the Denver Nuggets — a 95-86 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors — where Michael Malone’s bunch held Toronto to a season low in points has Denver’s coach living on cloud nine. Not necessarily because the Nuggets have the best record in the West, but due to the fact that Denver has risen past the Warriors, Thunder, Lakers and Clippers to the top spot in the conference because of its defense.

“I think our guys have truly bought into the fact that we are a defensive team,” he said moments after the Nuggets, who were without three starters for a fourth-straight game, held the Raptors to under 40 percent shooting and captured their third-straight win.

The Nuggets are playing the type of basketball that Malone envisioned he’d bring to Denver 3 1/2 years ago when he signed up to coach a ragtag bunch that was full of potential but at best was treading water in the choppy Western Conference. At first, Denver made waves by playing the beautiful game, a full-scale offensive air raid built around Nikola Jokic that was capable of putting 130 points on the board without breaking a sweat. Denver in some ways is still that, as Jamal Murray is quick to say if you try and suggest otherwise, but its defense this season is why through 29 games, the Nuggets have been the best team in basketball.

It’s a bold claim but one that’s backed up by an impressive win profile that already includes Golden State, Oklahoma City, Boston, Portland, Memphis, Los Angeles, the Clippers and now the Raptors. Twice. Denver’s latest win was already the 13th time in 29 games this season that the fourth-ranked defense in the league has held their opponent to under 100 points. Last year, Denver held 17 opponents under the century mark. In 82 games.

“We’re good in December,” said Mason Plumlee, making sure not to get too far ahead of himself. “We want to keep being good. It’s a long season.”

While Paul Millsap gets the most praise, and rightfully so, for Denver’s defensive turnaround, Plumlee has been almost as valuable on that end of the floor. And while Millsap should be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year at this stage in the season, Plumlee should garner consideration too, if your criteria is which player in the league makes the biggest defensive impact on the game on a per minute basis.

Plumlee is second on the Nuggets behind Millsap in stocks (steals plus blocks) and holds the best Defensive Rating in the league out of players who average at least 18 minutes per game. He’s also the defensive captain of Denver’s bench unit, which is allowing just 73.7 points per 100 possessions, making Plumlee, Murray, Monte Morris, Malik Beasley and Trey Lyles the stingiest five-man lineup in the league.

Sometimes you forget just how athletic Plumlee is, and if you do, he’ll remind you almost every night. Plumlee can sky for alley-oops. He was in the dunk contest after all in 2015 when he jumped over his older brother, 6-foot-10 Miles and somehow only earned a 36 from the judges. Plumlee is also an underrated rim protector who isn’t afraid to get dunked on — a valuable intangible for a big man to have in the social media era.

He can also move his feet, which he had to do often while defending Kawhi Leonard Sunday. In a surprise lineup move, Raptors coach Nick Nurse inserted C.J. Miles into his first five in place of the injured Pascal Siakam instead of O.G. Anunoby, who Denver had projected would take the vacant spot at power forward. When Toronto trotted out its small ball look with Miles at small forward and Leonard at the four, Malone didn’t want to panic and counter with a last-minute lineup change that would have moved Lyles or maybe even Beasley into his starting five. He stuck with his original lineup, somewhat surprising Plumlee, who could only muster up a one-word response — “What?” — when Malone rattled off the defensive assignments to his team moments before the opening tip.

Plumlee guarded Leonard to begin the game and more than held his own. He limited Leonard to only two points on 0-2 shooting over the game’s first six minutes. He even stole the ball from Leonard early in the first quarter, and a prompt closeout on the MVP candidate minutes later resulted in Leonard getting whistled for a travel.

Leonard got going, mostly in the second half when he scored 19 of his 29 points, but Plumlee defended him as well as anyone on Denver’s roster. Plumlee’s strategy, as told by the 28-year-old in front of his locker after the win, was simple: Don’t let Leonard beat you with easy buckets. Stay between him and the basket at all costs.

“It’s a challenge. But I like it. Whether it’s Giannis (Antetokounmpo) or Kevin Durant, or whoever. That’s the ultimate test as a defender,” said Plumlee, rattling off just a few of the elite wing players he’s matched up against this season. (Plumlee left out LeBron James by the way.) “I embrace that.”

Plumlee started his third-straight game in place of Millsap, who’s sidelined with a fractured big toe on his right foot. He likely won’t leave Denver’s first five while Millsap remains out with the effort he’s giving on the defensive end of the floor. Not that he cares though, as evidenced by his postgame remarks.

Reporter: “Do you like starting?”

Plumlee: “I like playing.”

Starter or bench player, Plumlee knows his role and who he is, which is another one of the underrated aspects to his game. Plumlee isn’t trying to score every time down the floor and is aware that Denver needs him to defend on one end of the court and finish lobs or crash the glass on the other. It’s music to the Nuggets front office’s ears, especially Sue Bird who noted pregame that “an understanding of who you are” is what she values most in a player.

But back to Plumlee’s effort, which has been a constant for every second out of the 18 minutes per game that he’s averaging this season. It was again front and center on a number of plays against Toronto with one sequence standing out from the rest.

A few minutes into the fourth quarter with the Nuggets in the midst of what would turn out to be a 23-2 run, the 7-footer churned out a Plumlee special. He dove for a steal in the backcourt but wasn’t able to come up with the ball and ended up entwined with a few courtside patrons, who had paid a pretty penny to watch Denver up close. Plumlee rose to his feet and Usain Bolt’d his way up the floor. After his mad dash, Plumlee was somehow able to contest what should have been a wide-open triple from Anunoby in the left corner, around 60 feet away. The shot bounced off the back of the iron.

“I just tried to get back in the play,” Plumlee said.

Denver backed up the Brinks truck for Plumlee in 2017, committing $41 million dollars to the big man. In the Nuggets’ mind, Plumlee was a gifted passer who could keep the Nuggets’ equal opportunity offense in gear while Jokic rested while also adding a rim protecting element to Denver’s roster that its starter lacked.

The Nuggets paid Plumlee like he’s the best backup center in the league, a title Plumlee can make a case for with how he’s played and the defense he’s provided through the first third of the regular season.

His teammates are already there.

“I take my hat off to him,” Morris said lauding Plumlee for his defense on Leonard. “And that’s why we pay him the big bucks.”