The Nuggets needed another point guard. They moved on from Jalen Pickett, who is now on a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, and were set to enter the season with just Jamal Murray and Tyus Jones on the roster.

Of course, there was local darling KJ Simpson, who held a two-way slot last season and has been participating in a sentimental training camp with the Nuggets at his alma mater’s facilities.

But the Nuggets waived Simpson, swapping him for a Nuggets killer by adding Ryan Nembhard as their third player on a two-way deal.

Nembhard turned in one of the best performances of his nascent career in Ball Arena last season, dropping a career-high 28 points while dishing out 10 assists for the Mavericks.

He cooked Denver that night, but Nembhard, listed as 5’11” in shoes, is known for his traditional point guard abilities rather than his scoring.

During the 2024-25 college season, he posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.28 at Gonzaga, the second-best mark in the country. And he posted a ludicrous average of 9.8 assists per game.

Back in April, Nembhard showcased his ability to rack up assists in the NBA as well, recording 23 assists against the Chicago Bulls. He was one rebound shy of a triple-double.

Nembhard faces an uphill battle in sticking around at the highest level. He’s small by NBA standards, and while he can get hot from deep, he’s inconsistent from the outside. Small guards have a higher bar to clear in that particular category.

And yet, landing Nembhard on a two-way feels like a resounding win for Denver’s front office tandem, Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace.

This signing addresses a need. Is it a perfect acquisition? No. In many ways, it compounds some of the roster’s existing weaknesses.

But it does address a need, and doing that with a young prospect—without burning a roster spot—is more than worth the flyer.

Consider a minor injury to either Murray or Jones, and what that would do to Denver’s rotation without a third option.

A new class of two-way players?

I’d argue there are different tiers of two-way players.

There are players like Bryce Hopkins who might not yet be ready for your rotation but are pieces you’d like to hang on to and develop all the same.

There are players like Spencer Jones and Torrey Craig, who took on significant responsibilities without a full-time spot.

And then there are the feel-good two-way slots, like local legends coming back home. Or the inconsequential ones that look more like minor favors to agents than anything else.

As the Nuggets fill out their two-way roster, it’s worth mulling over the emergence of a new type of two-way player.

It’s conceivable that Nembhard would secure a minimum contract somewhere after posting 5.3 assists per game as a 22-year-old rookie — size concerns notwithstanding. And it’s borderline shocking that Cam Whitmore was available for such a deal — health and simplification concerns notwithstanding.

Perhaps this is a side effect of the current CBA, which seems to have pushed some players down a bracket in free agency. Look at the Knicks, who invited players like Tony Bradley, Bruce Brown, James Wiseman, Drew Eubanks, and Ochai Agbaji to camp without full-time deals.

If that’s the case, the Nuggets deserve credit for their quickness to read and react, taking advantage of an emerging market trend and adding two-way players with legitimate upside, given the lack of a commitment offered.

Hopkins. Whitmore. Nembhard. The Nuggets have fielded a notably competitive back end of their roster without jeopardizing cap room or roster flexibility.