Have the Nuggets found any clarity at small forward?

The theme of the Nuggets’ team dinner in Colorado Springs on the eve of their week-long training camp at the Olympic Training Center centered around one word: sacrifice.

Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly put it simply that night according to Michael Malone who recently dictated what Denver’s top basketball decision-maker told those in attendance. The Nuggets have as many as eight players — Paul Millsap, Jerami Grant, Mason Plumlee, Malik Beasley, Torrey Craig, Juancho Hernangomez, Monte Morris and Jarred Vanderbilt — who could be up for new contracts after this season. And with how deep Denver is, there will need to be some sacrifice in the form of minutes and individual numbers even from those who could be putting pen to paper come July.

“I think Tim Connelly’s message to our players was great,” Malone said. “You look at a case-by-case study every year of players with the same stats. The guy that’s on a winning team, in a winning culture, is going to get paid a lot more money. So, sacrifice for the betterment of the team. We’ve had great examples of that time and time again the last several years. We’ve been a deep team, and we’re an even deeper team this year.”

Among the positions where sacrifice will be key is at small forward. The Nuggets christened the season at Media Day over two weeks ago by declaring that there’d an “open competition” at the position featuring incumbent Will Barton, Torrey Craig, Juancho Hernangomez, and rookie Michael Porter Jr. But through three preseason games, Denver hasn’t appeared to find much clarity at the position. Following the Nuggets’ preseason win over the Clippers last Thursday, Malone said that there was “no leader” in the starting small forward competition.

It’s hard to imagine much has changed since. Craig, in his first start of the preseason, shot 1 of 5 from the floor (1 of 4 from 3) in 24 minutes against the Suns on Monday and didn’t have too notable of an impact defensively. In 18 minutes of action, Barton converted just two of his eight field-goal attempts and turned the ball over twice. Hernangomez made one three, his only field goal attempt of the night, and had some strong moments but otherwise was quiet.

The night’s strongest outing came from Porter, who chipped in 11 points on 5 of 10 shooting in a preseason-high 21 minutes off the bench to go with five rebounds and two blocks. For the first time this preseason, Porter played minutes alongside Nikola Jokic and some of the Nuggets’ starters.

You can make the argument that while most of his minutes before this latest matchup came against opposing fourth stringers and end-of-the-bench or G League quality talent, Porter has had the most consistent preseason out of the four players vying for the Nuggets’ starting small forward job.

“Michael offensively he’s so long, he’s so gifted, he’s so talented, he makes easy plays,” Malone said. “He goes out there, 21 minutes, 5 of 10 from the field and gives you five rebounds. So I think it’s the third game that Michael has played, no matter what group he’s with no matter what part of the game he’s in, he’s shown that he belongs out there. I’m going to be on him like all our guys about our defense and being more in tune and disciplined on defense, but Michael has had three great preseason games and it’s great to see.”

Porter’s first 50 minutes in a Nuggets uniform have been memorable. The rookie hadn’t played a game in nearly two years before Denver’s preseason opener but has looked at home out on the court, especially on the offensive end of the floor.

At 6-foot-10 Porter is able to create offensive chances that others at his position simply can’t. When he wants to be, Porter can be a menace on the offensive glass. He’s especially elusive for someone his size and can use his strength to ward off others and corral 50-50 offensive rebounds. His length and feel for the game also give Porter a tangible road to being an expert cutter. Individually, Porter is a gifted natural scorer and packs a gorgeous, high-arching jumper that he can get off from almost any angle.

He’s made strides as a defender in just three games too. Porter still makes rookie-level mistakes, and as detailed here likely will for the entirety of the season. That’s life for a rookie in the NBA where defense is so nuanced and detailed that it takes years and thousands of thousands of reps just to be league-average.

But his length gives him an inherent advantage over a lot of rookies who are also learning the NBA game. His two blocks at the rim against Phoenix were impressive and he had a couple other encouraging defensive possessions as well.

In the fourth quarter, Porter switched onto Suns point guard Jevon Carter in transition and helped force a turnover.

For as well as Porter has played at times this preseason, it still seems unlikely he’ll win the small forward job ahead of opening night in Portland next week. He still makes far too many gaffs on the defensive end of the floor for Malone’s liking and you get the feeling the Nuggets still want to bring him along slowly.

Barton, who started 38 of the 43 regular-season games he appeared in last season and Craig, who took over at the starting three for Barton in Game 4 of the Nuggets’ first-round series against the Spurs, still seem to be the two frontrunners. Malik Beasley, who based on last year’s lineup data when the athletic guard played with Denver’s four other starters should be in this competition too, doesn’t appear to be a candidate.

Barton is a higher-usage and more ball-dominant wing who thrives with the rock in his hands. He was a crucial piece to the Nuggets’ starting lineup two seasons ago but a significant injury last year put Barton in street clothes for two-and-a-half months and hung over the 28-year-old’s disappointing season. Barton shot just 34.2% from 3 last year — the worst he’s shot from distance since arriving in Denver five seasons ago — but is healthy now although he’s still trying to work himself into game shape after missing portions of training camp with a tweaked hamstring.

Craig, on the other hand, represents a contrasting style at small forward. He’s a low-usage wing who spends a large chunk of his offensive possessions camped out in the corner. He’s historically a much-worse long-range shooter than Barton and shot only 32.4% from distance last year but heated up over the second half of the season hitting 41% of his 3s after the All-Star break. Defensively, Craig is the stronger player but as a cutter and off-ball mover, Barton’s feel for the Nuggets’ offense is at a level Craig has never reached.

The Nuggets could gain more clarity at the position in Denver’s fourth and final preseason matchup Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers. If they don’t, Malone and his staff will be forced to go with their gut and the player they feel fits in best with Jokic, Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, and Paul Millsap.

“It’s not just about those individuals against each other. It’s going to be about team fit,” Malone said. “How does this player fit? What player is going to give that group of starters the best chance to go out there and get us off to a great start every night?”

Whoever the Nuggets go with, sacrifice at the position will still be key. It’s “impossible” as Malone has put it this preseason for Barton, Craig, Hernangomez, and Porter to all play meaningful rotation minutes in the same game. Add in Beasley, who will surely play some small forward on the Nuggets’ second unit, and it’s only a matter of time until Denver’s minutes crunch on the wing is felt.

But the Nuggets can navigate a crowded wing rotation where one or two small forwards will undoubtedly be left out of Denver’s everyday lineup. It goes back to the culture the Nuggets have worked day in and day out to put in place throughout the Connelly era along with the message he relayed to his team over two weeks ago.

Monte Morris repeated a version of the same phrase often last season, even while Isaiah Thomas was building towards his February return and about to bite into his minutes at the point guard position.

“The thing about us is nobody’s really got egos on this team,” Morris would say.

Last season, the Nuggets demonstrated that they’d sacrifice individual success for the betterment of the team. They’ll need to bear a similar mentality this year no matter who wins the starting small forward job.