DNVR Player Grades: a swan song in Denver

First, there was a basketball game. The Denver Nuggets hosted and blew out Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night buy stifling the thermonuclear star in a 127-99 ass-kicking. While Lillard struggled, Nikola Jokić dominated as we got another glimpse of what an offense built around his greatness looks like when orbited by capable shooters. Denver hit 17 of their 34 attempts from deep and busted the game open with a 27-10 second-quarter victory. The Nuggets would not look back from there as the Blazers wilted and relented.

Spirits were high as the final buzzer sounded. Jamal Murray was excellent in his return Jokić staked his claim for the hottest player on the planet, Jerami Grant blocked the living hell out of Lillard–it had all the makings of a feel-good win. Coming on the heels of the Utah and Milwaukee wins, momentum appeared to be on Denver’s side. I looked up at my colleagues on media row and proclaimed, “the Denver Nuggets are fun again.”

Again may not have been the operative word, as it appears those Nuggets evoked joy together for the final time. Shortly after Micahel Malone’s postgame media availability, the media turned their attention to their phones, one-by-one, as the Woj-bombs and Sham-wows rolled in. 

Juancho Henangomez and Malik Beasley are no longer Denver Nuggets. By the end of Thursday, they’ll be up north with Karl-Anthony Towns and the division rival Timberwolves. Perhaps it’s the precursor to a more significant move. Maybe the Nuggets just didn’t see room for either player in a healthy rotation and were eager to facilitate the relocation of Clint Capela. Either way, a chapter in Nuggets history came to a close. 

Neither Juancho nor Beasley were the face of an era or the stars of the team. But both represented a small part of what we may remember as the sweet spot of fandom during the Jokić years. Before the talk of championship aspirations and expectations crept in. Before the question turned from “Are the Nuggets good?” to “Are the Nuggets great?” — there were the nascent-stages of Jokić ball, and the cast of loveable characters that comprised it. The diehards will remember Beasley’s 35-point explosion against the Houston Rockets last season. They’ll remember Juancho’s breakout game against Golden State. His game-saving block against the same team one season later. And of course, the shimmy.

Neither player remained integral to Denver’s plans, but both played an essential role in guiding the fanbase back into the light. This part is never easy.

So it goes. 

Honor Roll

Nikola Jokić – A

There might not be anyone playing at his level right now. Damian Lillard entered the game in some state of autonomous unconsciousness, existing on a plane few scorers have ever reached, but he came crashing back down to earth in Denver. Meanwhile, Jokić ascended. In 30 minutes, he put up 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting and 3-of-5 from deep while adding 13 rebounds and 9 assists. We expect such lines at this point, but the very end of his box score catches the eye. Jokić recorded two steals and three blocks, prompting the ever-quiet Jerami Grant to unleash his first sound-bite of the season after the game. When asked what Jokić’s detractors might be missing about his play on the defensive end, he offered a simple explanation:

“Those people don’t really watch basketball or don’t know basketball.”

Jamal Murray – A-

In 19 minutes, Murray put up 20 points on 6-of-9 from the floor, 3-of-6 from deep, and recorded six assists. He told the media he was in a lot of pain after the game, but he looked uninhibited and in control for virtually all of his time on the floor. Murray may not be an ideal second option on a title team, but he’s still the second-best player on the Denver Nuggets, and they missed him dearly. Welcome back, Guin.

Jerami Grant – A-

Tuesday night featured nother strong performance from Grant alongside Jokić in the starting lineup. The Elastic Assasin scored 17 points in his 29 minutes on 6-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-5 from deep. A Grant-Jokić pairing is an imperfect one, but we’ve seen it bear fruit in Millsap’s absence. This was a fun performance, the peak of which came when he spiked a Lillard layup into the ground with a monster weakside block.

The Class

Gary Harris – B

Harris was just 1-of-3 from the floor in the win, but that doesn’t matter. He put the clamps on the hottest scorer in the world. That’s a sizeable contribution.

Will Barton III – B-

Barton was good, but not great on Tuesday night. He scored 16 points on 6-of-9 from the field, grabbed five rebounds and didn’t turn the ball over. The most notable development of his night was his minutes total — only 24 — as he got a well-deserved break.

The Goodbyes

Juancho Hernangomez & Malik Beasley – A+

Neither player turned in their best performance, but they both played significant minutes in a feel-good blowout win, which is enough for a happy ending. Both of these guys see the open road in front of them. There’s an opportunity for them now, an opportunity that wasn’t in Denver. Here’s to hoping they seize it without tormenting us in divisional matchups for years to come.

Game Ball