Grades: he likes the name Kenny

Nikola Jokić – A

Not since Wilt is at it again, he notched a second triple-double in as many nights to tie the great Wilt Chamberlain for the most all-time by a center at 78. The Thunder does a tremendous job against the Nuggets. They are determined to make life hell for Jokić, but back near full strength, that approach puts him in his happy place as a creative playmaker. Feast your eyes on a new Jok-special.

https://twitter.com/VojaMedic/status/1584185881061388291?s=20&t=oilNTvHN-G9EdBNSHVGKwg

If you blink, another season or two of greatness goes by. Stop and smell the roses. One of the greatest offensive weapons in the game’s history is planted firmly in Denver with no intentions of going anywhere but the top, and he’s taking us all with him.

Jamal Murray – B-

Murray’s return got a tough start when his microphone cut out while addressing a packed Ball Arena. It finished on a much brighter note as the starters cruised. Murray scored 16 points on 50% shooting and dished out five assists. It wasn’t pleasant at times, as best represented by his five turnovers, but we saw flashes of his typical pick-and-roll chemistry with Jokić. The game will continue to slow down for him. In the meantime, every bucket or assist brings a smile to thousands.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – A

The offseason acquisition meant to bolster the defense can’t stop getting buckets. KCP knocked down four of five attempts from deep in the first quarter alone en route to 13 points. He finished with 21. If the man is playing this well, it’s only right we know what to call him. “I like the name, Kenny,” he told the media after the game.

Kenny, it is. And Kenny is hooping.

Michael Porter Jr. – A

MPJ couldn’t buy a bucket to start the game. He wasn’t hunting bad shots. He was bricking the easy ones. Easy for him, I should say, and easy he made them look again before night’s end. Somehow, after a 1-5 start to the field and a 1-4 start from deep, Porter Jr. finished with 20 points on 5 of 10 shooting from distance. He’s at 50% from 3 through three games on eight attempts, and he’ll continue to get looks like these so long as he’s putting in the effort on defense. MPJ closed the third straight game, and while he’s looked like a giraffe on skates at times, he’s also shown us, and more importantly, Michael Malone, that he’s committed.

Michael Malone on Michael Porter Jr.’s defense: “I’m so proud of Michael…will he ever be Scottie Pippen? Probably not. I don’t want him to be Scottie Pippen. I want him to be the best version of Michael Porter Jr. that he can be, and right now he’s showing me that he cares.”

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) October 23, 2022

Porter spoke about his defense to the lingering media, telling them he’s ”just trying to get past that being the kind of thing that people talk about…I don’t want there to be a thing like, ‘yeah, he is a good player, but’ or, ‘he was a really good shooter, but.’ I do not want to hear that my whole career…defense is where I am trying to win.”

AG – B

AG struggled from the field but attacked the glass as Denver needed. He finished with ten boards in about 28 minutes, five on each side of the floor. It may feel tempting to nitpick a starter or two, but they crushed OKC—a dreadful bench performance marred a potential blowout.

Christian Braun – B-

The bench got destroyed, but the rookie turned his motor up and finally knocked down some shots. He shot 3 of 4 from deep, and getting his confidence up in a win is far more important than his +/-. How about getting the monkey off his back in the home opener? Braun has been the rookie from Kansas for minute, but he’s an NBA player now. He might be firmly in an NBA rotation.

Jeff Green – B+

Uncle Jeff did his thing with both groups, dropping 14 points on 5 of 5 shooting, including two 3s. He was active all night, best reflected by perhaps his best play of the night, a beautiful cut to the rim while a spinning Jokić scanned a defense designed to stop him for weakness.

Bruce Brown – C+

The Nuggets get much more production out of Brown when he’s with the starters. It’s one of the big takeaways through three games.

Bones Hyland – F

Bones did not have his typical juice on the home court. He couldn’t buy a bucket and faded into irrelevance out there. He’ll undoubtedly turn a tough night into fuel for the fire in the future.

Zeke Nnaji – F

Nnaji got a chance at the five, with DeAndre Jordan catching a night off. It was a disaster. Bones may have faded into the background, but Zeke stuck out painfully. He grabbed zero rebounds in nearly ten minutes, turned it over once, and fouled four times. Nnaji’s in a tough spot but didn’t do himself any favors in the home opener.