DNVR Player Grades: a coming out party for MPJ

In a surprising series of events, Denver Nuggets’ guard Gary Harris was added to the injury report as “PROBABLE” with a shin contusion. Roughly an hour before tip-off, the team downgraded him to “OUT,” the starters were announced, and Michael Porter Jr. was listed at the small forward position.

It wasn’t technically a debut, nor was it the first time we’ve seen Porter Jr. with the starters, but it was the first start of his nascent career. It was also the best we’ve seen him play as he made significant contributions to the 120-115 win. As Denver’s offense creeps up the league rankings, their defense has trended down, and that continued on Sunday night as the Nuggets couldn’t stop a nosebleed in the first and fourth quarters. The offense looked good, however, and Denver was able to create separation with uncharacteristic success at the line— 90.3% (28/31).

Denver controlled most of the game, but both their peak and their nadir occurred in the same quarter. They pushed the lead to a game-high 14, but it slipped through the cracks of their fingers and dropped to four with 03:44 left in the game, but Nikola Jokić and Jerami Grant sealed the deal late from the charity stripe.

In the absence of Harris and Paul Millsap, who sat due to a left knee contusion, Michael Malone played ten guys. Seven of them finished in double figures.

Let’s go to the grades:

Honor Roll

Michael Porter Jr. – A

Where else would we begin? Michael Porter Jr. logged the first start of his professional career against the Kings, and he turned in his best performance yet in the NBA. In 26 minutes—a new season-high—MPJ scored 19 points—also a season-high— on 8-of-10 from the floor. He snagged six rebounds, including three on the offensive end, and finished the game as +5. Nikola Jokić looked to him early, as Porter Jr. scored the first points of the game and found his rhythm quickly. It wasn’t all pretty — he still looked like a long term project on defense, and an errant pass fell on Nikola Jokić’s shoulders in the box score, though in truth, the turnover occurred because Porter Jr. didn’t relocate properly. But his performance should be celebrated. MPJ doesn’t fill the one-on-one breakdown void on the roster but can create points out of thin air with his ability to rise and shooter over most defenders. This was the game we’ve been waiting to see.

The Class

Nikola Jokić – B+

By the standard’s Jokić has set for himself, this was a fairly mediocre performance. His body language was notably off, contrasting starkly with what he’s shown us over the last month. He picked up four turnovers, two of them stemming from a lack of cohesion with his teammates—a rare and frustrating occurrence for him—and one resulting in a vintage frustration foul as he picked up his third before the half. Nonetheless, a mediocre game from Jokić is an impactful one all the same, and he put his fingerprints on the win with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. He only shot eight times but knocked down seven of them.

Mason Plumlee – B+

Plumlee’s been on a roll lately, and he continued his hot play in the least likely of ways on Sunday night. Plumlee scored 15 points in 21 minutes, doing must of his damage at—wait for it—the free throw line. He hit nine of his ten attempts from the stripe and added six rebounds and two assists for good measure.

Jerami Grant – B+

Grant started in place of Millsap as we saw his minutes total eclipse 30 for the fifth time this season. He played 33 to be exact and scored 18 points on 5-for-9 from the floor. We’re still waiting to see grant make strides as a rebounder or make his mark as a high-impact defender. But he’s making bigger and bigger contributions offensively as he grows more comfortable alongside Jokić. That dynamic is most important, and he and Jokić weren’t always on the same page Sunday night—see those turnovers mentioned earlier. But he did hit two of his four attempts from three-point range where Grant is now shooting over 41 percent on the season.

Will Barton III – B+

Barton was at it again on Sunday, tying Porter jr. with a team-high 19 points 8-of-14 shooting. He led the team in shots, but also made contributions as a playmaker, trailing only Jamal Murray in assists with five. He’s in such control with the ball in his hands right now. It’s fun to watch.

Malik Beasley – B-

Beasley hasn’t wasted much time getting shots up since his return to somewhat regular playing time. He trailed only Barton with 12 field goal attempts, getting them up in just 23 minutes. Beasley is forcing things a bit right now, and he’s missing some threes we’ve grown accustomed to him draining. But to his credit, he’s a willing and capable scorer, something the second unit needs. We’ve seen worse possessions from the bench than those that end in Beasley hunting for his shot.

Jamal Murray – C+

Murray hit three of his six attempts from deep, went hit all four of his free throw attempts, and recorded seven assists. These are all good things. But those threes were the only field goals he converted out of the ten he attempted. Consistency is still eluding him.

Principal’s Office

Juancho Hernangomez – D

In 20 minutes, Juancho took just five shots, all of them from three-point range, and missed all five. He finished the game with only one point. Hernangomez might still have a long NBA career in front of him, but that’s all predicated on a skill set he isn’t manifesting in games.

Game Ball