A three-step guide to understanding the Nuggets' point guard depth

I’ll admit I was surprised when the Nuggets signed Facu Campazzo.

Another point guard? Looking at who Denver had under contract for this season it seemed like there were bigger holes to fill.

But since then, the Nuggets’ motivation for signing Campazzo, how his presence will affect the other point guards on the roster, and as a result, what changes Denver will make to its style of play this season have come into better focus. At least for me.

Here’s a three-step guide to understanding the Nuggets’ backcourt.

Step 1: Understanding Campazzo

Monte Morris wasn’t caught off guard when he got wind that Campazzo was heading to Denver.

“I really wasn’t surprised,” Morris said. “I know coach Malone loves playmakers.”

And there lies the first clue to why the Nuggets moved aggressively to land the services of one of the more decorated lead ball handlers in the world: Michael Malone.

On a media Zoom call earlier this week, it wasn’t hard to notice Malone’s face light up whenever he spoke about Campazzo. Denver’s coach called him a “top-5 pick-and-roll player in the world” and a “disruptive defender.” You got the feeling Malone could talk about Campazzo’s strengths and what he will add to this Nuggets team for hours on end. He definitely has behind closed doors.

“Facundo Campazzo!” Malone said. “I just like saying his name.”

“When I get depressed I might just put on Facu highlights because it brings a smile to my face,” he added a few minutes later.

Malone is as big of a Campazzo fan as they come. He loves the heart, passion and toughness the Argentinian plays with and how well he’s performed on some of the biggest stages in the world. Malone has watched Campazzo play for Real Madrid and Argentina over the last few years and has come away impressed. He’s just the type of player Malone and the Nuggets’ front office wanted to add to their rotation this offseason.

There’s a reason teams were lining up to pursue Campazzo this offseason. He’s damn good and has qualities that any team, especially a contending one, would want on its roster.

The Nuggets also needed to get tougher. Campazzo will certainly help them do that. Opposing point guards will hate having to initiate offense against his ball pressure and bring the ball up the floor against his pesky full-court defense.

Step 2: The next iteration

The Nuggets could have used Campazzo’s playmaking in the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers. The 29-year-old can expertly break down a defense off the dribble, dart into the lane and find an open teammate in the paint or spacing the floor around the three-point arc.

Campazzo’s drives will naturally create a ton of corner threes, which the Nuggets want to take more of this season. Last year the Nuggets attempted just 30.6 three-pointers per game, the fifth-fewest in the league.

Expect to also see Denver deploy lots of two point guard looks this year in an effort to bring more ball movement and pace into its offense. Just 14.1% of the Nuggets’ offensive possessions last year started via a transition play, per Cleaning The Glass, which ranked 18th in the NBA. Last season, Denver played at the second-slowest pace in the league.

“I think we’re just going to play a lot faster and be a lot scrappier,” Morris said.

The Nuggets’ primary second unit backcourt is looking like it could feature both Campazzo and Morris and don’t be surprised if both point guards log minutes alongside Jamal Murray as well. Denver is less than three months removed from a grueling playoff run where Murray played the most minutes out of any postseason player who didn’t play in the Finals and it would be resourceful for the Nuggets to find ways to conserve his energy during the regular season. One way to do that is by playing him off the ball more. Murray is a natural at navigating screens and finding his shot as an off-ball guard.

Denver has found success with two point guard looks in the past. The Nuggets outscored their opponent by 9.0 points per 100 possessions (111.6 Offensive Rating, 102.6 Defensive Rating) in the 306 minutes that Murray and Morris played together last regular season. Denver also outscored its opponent by 6.7 points per 100 possessions with Murray and Morris on the floor during the 2018-19 season.

Step 3: Flexibility and the PJ Dozier factor

PJ Dozier was exceptional at times for the Nuggets throughout their 2020 postseason run inside the Disney World bubble. Dozier split time between the G League and the Nuggets last year, and only appeared in 29 games for Denver during the regular season but saw the floor in 12 playoff games. His defense and versatility helped propel the Nuggets to victory in both Games 1 and 5 against the Jazz.

Dozier fashions himself as a point guard, but the truth is that at 6-foot-6 he can play up to three positions, point guard, shooting guard and small forward. With Campazzo and Morris, who just agreed to a three-year, $27 million extension with the Nuggets earlier this week, both squarely in Denver’s plans for this season, Dozier’s most advantageous path to minutes could come via backup small forward.

The Nuggets have a need at that spot in their rotation, and more specifically a defensive need behind Michael Porter Jr. who’s expected to win the starting small forward job this preseason. Dozier could not just fill that role as Torrey Craig’s replacement. He could be an upgrade.

Dozier’s the same height as Craig and a stronger individual defender. Sources close to the team raved about Dozier’s presence in the film room and on Denver’s practice court last season. He’s a quick study and extremely coachable.

All of those capable ball handlers will give Malone an unprecedented amount of flexibility with his lineups this season. Murray, Campazzo, Morris and Dozier can all play alongside one another in the same lineups and apply a ton of pressure to opposing defenses. Malone proved in the playoffs without Will Barton and at times Gary Harris that he can move players around and craft lineups in imaginative ways. With this many guards on the roster, he’ll have plenty of options when constructing his rotation.

Malone will also have a cavalry of backcourt reinforcements in case injuries do hit Harris or Barton again and if COVID-19 challenges Denver’s depth. There could be value to just having as many capable high-end rotation players on your roster this season as possible this season.

“The more nimble you can be the better,” Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said last week.