Grades: newcomers deliver, Nuggets tear through Cavaliers

Head Coach of the Denver Nuggets Michael Malone had his back against a wall with the Cleveland Cavaliers in town Wednesday night. With multiple players out due to injury, and his stars running on fumes, he debuted new lineups and finally smashed the emergency glass protecting Zeke Nnaji. Nnaji brought a fresh look, Facundo Campazzo brought the energy, and R.J. Hampton dropped the hammer. It was a complete team effort as the Nuggets ran the Cavs out of the gym, and just about everyone got in on the action.

Let’s go to the grades:

Nikola Jokić: A

The only thing that could stop Jokić Wednesday night was the score. His precious double-double streak suddenly in jeopardy as the Nuggets delivered the complete performance Malone’s therapist presumably hears about so much. Jokić logged 29:50, scoring 12 points, handing out 12 assists, and grabbing 6 rebounds while shooting 5/7 from the floor. He was in cruise control, living out a fantasy. Any more than seven shots would’ve been superfluous.

Jamal Murray: B-

Murray took only six shots and scored just eight points in 25:15 of playing time. That said, the ball was popping, and the offense was humming—credit to Murray choosing not to shoot his way through the slump. On the other end of the floor, Colin Sexton posed a significant threat. He’s a speedy, relentless guard—the type that’s picked Murray apart for much of his career. Sexton finished 1/9 from the field, and the Cavs’ starting backcourt combined for only 11 points.

Michael Porter Jr.: A-

What a response from a young man feeling the weight of tremendous pressure. All eyes are on Porter now as the Nuggets hope to recapture their status as one of the league’s top teams, and those eyes saw a quality performance on the heels of his nadir in a Nuggets uniform. Not only did the shots fall, but he also looked a part of the team. It’s a low bar to clear, but one he’s stumbled over in his limited opportunities as a starter. His cuts were timely, he moved the ball, and his defense cleared the undefined threshold that justifies extended run. After the game, he addressed the elephant in the room: Jokić’s visible frustration towards his struggles.

The message? Just two competitors who want the same things—greatness for Michael and new heights for the Denver Nuggets.

Onwards.

Paul Millsap: A

On the day Millsap turned 36, he looked one year younger on the court. ‘Dad’ led all players with 22 points, which he reached on just eight attempts. He got hot early and stayed engaged. It’s as active off-ball as he’s been all season, finally looking like something more than a spot-up shooter—a little treat to himself and his fans on a special day.

Will Barton – B

Barton probably has better things to do than read these player grades. Like speaking with God, for example. But if he did, he’d have seen me all but write him off not too long ago, and he’s serving my own words back to me like we’re in a David Fincher film.

Things are trending up for ‘Thrill,’ who’s finally finding ways to score inside the arc. It hasn’t always been pretty, and it’s come at the cost of some bad possessions, but Barton’s stringing some quality performances together on the offensive end.

I happily apologize for the premature pessimism and proactively refuse to apologize for this premature victory lap.

Monte Morris – B

PSA: we’re rebranding The Monte as The Full Monte. 

New parameters: requires five or more assists with zero turnovers. He fell just short of that mark with four assists in the win. The Almost Monte.

JaMychal Green – B

Plot twist: Green missed all three of his attempts from deep.

Reassuring follow up: he was still solid in the win.

Green scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds in 13:40.

R.J. Hampton – B+

Hampton is building upon the foundation of his contained success in a limited role. First, we saw raw, yet to be distilled hustle. Now, he isn’t forcing the issue but has moved beyond just running and jumping as hard as he can. He’s beginning to create for others and shooting with confidence, even if the shot doesn’t inspire much itself. He finished with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in a little under 20 minutes.

Ok, I buried the lede here. Hampton finally banished someone to the Shadow Realm. If anyone’s looking for poor Cedi Osman, point them towards the darkness:

RJ HAMPTON CHOSE VIOLENCE ON THIS DUNK 😨 pic.twitter.com/Uv4bQHBV5A

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 11, 2021

Zeke Nnaji – B

What a night for Zeke Nnaji, effectively his debut in the eyes of Nuggets fans. Nnaji played in nearly seven minutes during the first half. He was scoreless and grabbed just one rebound in those minutes, but he didn’t look over his head physically. At 6’9″, 240, he supplies a need for Denver by filling his own shoes. He also, most notably, checked in to play some small forward.

The minutes that will garner discussion, however, came well after the win was in hand. Nnaji let it fly in garbage time, and wow, did the jumper look good. He scored 14 in the fourth quarter on 5/6 from the floor and 4/5 from deep.

Facundo Campazzo – B-

Campazzo took an unfathomable amount of steps in just under 13 minutes of burn. Those legs kept turning as he kept working, flying around to contest any and every jump shot. He even blocked a three-point attempt, evoking a raging sense of pride in both Argentines and vertically challenged folks everywhere. Campazzo plays every game like it might be his last, and that energy is precisely what the doctor ordered heading into this game.

Isaiah Hartensein – PF

Hartenstein rode one of the final waves of substitutions onto the hardwood and almost fouled his way back off. He picked up three fouls in just 7:40. He did block three shots, though.

Markus Howard / Bol Bol – N/A

The clean up crew took the court for their pre-post-game victory ritual. Howard somehow got five shots up in 6 minutes, and Bol (literally) dropped in a fast break layup.