Grades: Denver Nuggets Come Up Short in Memphis

“I will live with Nikola taking that shot regardless of the result 1,000 times out of 1,000.”

Michael Malone

Nikola Jokić – A

Nikola Jokić stuck around with the bench when Malone subbed the starters out early in the first quarter. He had to battle through a tough stretch, which put a dent in his +/- and muddied his performance. He also banged knees with Steven Adams in the first half, delaying his ascent to standard altitude. Standard altitude for Jokić, of course, is high above almost anyone else on the court. He climbed and cruised, helping to lead a furious comeback effort.

The win within reach, Denver looked to its best player trailing by two. Unbelievably, Jokić missed a shot that would have sent the game into overtime. It’s unbelievable in that he never misses those looks — not without some extenuating circumstances in play. Alas, that was indeed the explanation Wednesday night. Jokić finally missed one because Jaren Jackson Jr. hacked him.

How do you miss this call? pic.twitter.com/C5mar8FGtH

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) November 4, 2021

The MVP posted 34 points on 11 of 20 shooting, including 2 of 5 from deep. He grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out five assists, and stole the ball twice as well—just another night at the office.

Will Barton – A

Barton followed up his worst game of the season with an inspiring performance. With the game already slipping through Denver’s fingers like sand, he rescued them from a blowout with ten second-quarter points. Barton shot 5 of 8 from the floor in the quarter and recorded four assists as well. He did it by putting his head down and getting to the rack, an antidote to yet another night of the poor three-point shooting. He kept it going, too, scoring eight more in the third.

Barton ran out of steam in the fourth, though, when it became the Barton-Jokić show sans Murray. Barton knows how to work the two-man game with Jokić and made good choices but couldn’t knock down his shots. He had his chances too—still, a great night from Thrill.

Aaron Gordon – A-

Forget Gordon’s modest stat line. He played an excellent game in Memphis Wednesday night. Ja Morant continued to torch Denver’s guards, and Gordon eventually took the matchup. From there, Memphis had to adjust and find plan B—a plan that involved Jackson Jr. knocking down a handful of unlikely threes. Credit to the streaky shooter who knocked down big shots. If not for that effort, we’re spending the night discussing the adjustment from Malone and the subsequent effort from AG. If you’re looking for meaningful, positive takeaways through such a small and tumultuous sample of games, you can highlight Gordon’s defense. He provides Denver with something they haven’t had in the Jokić era.

Michael Porter Jr. – C+

Porter only scored 12 points, and it’s getting less comfortable for those preaching patience. He needs to be more involved in the offense, and he needs to make the opportunities count when they come his way.

His 0 of 3 shooting from deep marred an otherwise quality performance in this case. Porter shot 6 of 12 from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds. He played fine, but Denver needs him to be more than fine now. So much is riding on Jokić’s gargantuan shoulders, and even Barton’s too. Increasing their workload to offset the deficiencies isn’t sustainable, and Porter playing better is the simplest solution.

Monte Morris – C

No one is expecting Morris to fill up the points column, but he hit just three of his 12 shots and missed both attempts from deep. Both he and Porter killed some ball-is-popping possessions. His six rebounds are of note, though. He played hard as he so often does.

Bones Hyland – B

Bones looks to have played himself into the rotation. Malone gave the rookie 20-plus minutes in Memphis, and Bones took advantage. He shot 4 of 8 from the floor on his way to 9 points and picked up four rebounds plus three assists. He’s got a natural feel for the game and sees the floor much better than a late first-rounder should.

Jeff Green / JaMychal Green – D

These two have got to be better. Neither eclipsed ten minutes of playing time Wednesday night (JaMychal did tweak an ankle in the game), and neither made a solid case to either. The mental lapses from Jeff are adding up. JaMychal’s inability to enter the post or set a screen without turning the ball over is frankly annoying.

The season is young, both of these guys are quality rotation players, and they’re victims of a poorly constructed unit as well. They deserve patience like everyone else. Still, if they don’t start playing better, it will be challenging to build a better one.