Grades: Denver Nuggets Get Another Against Detroit

Nikola Jokić – A

The Denver Nuggets could not stop turning the ball over, but they did have Nikola Jokić and thus emerged victorious from Little Caesars Arena. Jokić has evolved in a rebounding deity, inhaling rim-debris like a sentient black hole. He racked up 21 in Detroit, impressive in its own right, but of course, he tacked on 28 points and nine assists as well. The rebounds don’t come on accident — so much work goes into slipping or bruising his way into position time and time again. He’s as relentless as adroit and committed himself to clean up the mess Tuesday night. Rebounding and playmaking defined his great night. The guy wakes up with 28 points these days anyway.

Aaron Gordon – B

Cade Cunningham gave Aaron Gordon some work, but it was hardly exclusive. The phenom went off for a career-high 34 points and didn’t see anyone Denver threw in front of him. AG also turned it over three times. He wasn’t at his best, yet he was still a big part of Denver’s success. Five of Gordon’s six makes came at the rim, the remainder a corner three. His playmaking is trending up as his chemistry with the ever-important Jokić. After the game, the reigning MVP gave Gordon his flowers:

Nikola Jokic on Aaron Gordon: "He really cares and he really wants to win. He wants to be better. He wants to understand the game. That's what I like about him and I admire that he's caring about something…He wants to improve. I respect that a lot." pic.twitter.com/xtS3OQWyKO

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) January 26, 2022

Jeff Green – A-

Green played an excellent game on the offensive end, exploiting Detroit’s inexperience and vet-ing himself to 20 points. After the game, Malone gave Green the DPOG chain. I’m still not sure why, and even Jokić joked he didn’t know why either, but Green finally got his long-shelved speech out of the way in the locker room. Denver’s resident uncle had a good night.

Austin Rivers – C+

Rivers played some defense and scored 10 points efficiently. That’s a job well done in a spot start, his aversion to Jokić ball notwithstanding.

Monte Morris – C-

Morris played in front of friends and family Tuesday night and unfortunately didn’t turn in his best shooting performance. He shot 3 of 14 but got himself involved with eight rebounds, including three on offense. He didn’t play well, but the rebounds were timely and saved him from a worse grade here.

Bryn Forbes – D

Forbes struggled to hit a shot as the second unit struggled to create a quality look. Forbes missed some clean ones, though. He wasn’t the sharpest shooter this time around.

Zeke Nnaji – B-

Nnaji led all Nuggets off the bench with nine points. His three-point shooting is back to form, and he also grabbed four offensive rebounds in Detroit. Nnaji can occasionally fade into the background, but he stood out with a high motor on both ends of the floor. He flashed some of that defensive versatility the Nuggets are continuously selling, too.

DeMarcus Cousins – D+

Cousins doesn’t look very good so far, but it’s great to see an appropriately sized five secure rebounds for the second unit. He led all Nuggets with six turnovers.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from his nascent tenure: he’s not logging high minutes any time soon. That’s a big wrench in hypothetical plans to rest Jokić during the road trip.

Facundo Campazzo – D

Eight quarters later, Detroit’s got the book on Campazzo. He’s not posing a significant enough threat to work his magic as a playmaker.

Bones Hyland – C-

Bones scored four points in just under six minutes, but that’s all the time he logged as Malone turned to Reed instead.

Davon Reed – F

The Reed minutes were an absolute disaster, though that’s not all on Reed.