JaMychal Green already looks like the perfect fit in Denver

Late in the first quarter of the Nuggets’ 123-116 win over the Timberwolves Tuesday night, JaMychal Green jogged up the floor following a Minnesota missed three-pointer. Two steps before he crossed the half-court line, Green locked eyes with Nikola Jokic and then turned his jog into a sprint.

Green shifted into top gear. A split-second later he was at the foul-line. There, the Nuggets’ top free agent signing this past offseason received a pinpoint bounce pass from Jokic, who threaded the needle between two Timberwolves defenders to hit Green in stride from 30-feet away. Then, a dunk and Green’s first basket of an 18-point night.

“If you want him to run,” Jokic said of Green. “He’s going to run as fast as he can.”

Green missed the first four games of the regular season with a calf injury which he suffered at the conclusion of the preseason, but since returning to the lineup he’s been a natural fit on the Nuggets’ second unit and even at times alongside Jokic and Denver’s starters. It’s exactly what Denver envisioned when it signed Green this offseason in the wake of Jerami Grant’s sudden departure.

Across three appearances, Green’s shooting 8-13 from three and 13-21 overall from the field. He’s averaging 13 points and five rebounds per game. Statistically he’s Denver’s second-best defensive rebounder behind Jokic. Green’s also been a godsend for the Nuggets’ second unit which struggled to open the season and a fountain of stability alongside Monte Morris, PJ Dozier, Facu Campazzo and the rest of Denver’s bench.

As was the case Tuesday, the Campazzo-Green pick-and-pop could be a deadly combination all season long.

Green has already earned the stamp of approval from the Nuggets’ franchise superstar too. Jokic and Green have spent 23 minutes on the floor together across three games. In those minutes, the Nuggets have outscored their opponent by 14 points, which works out to a 139.6 Offensive Rating and a 108.2 Defensive Rating. It’s way too early to draw definitive conclusions about how efficient the Green-Jokic combo will be this season on both ends of the floor, but the early returns are encouraging.

“You always love a guy like JaMychal,” Jokic said. “Because he’s going to give you everything. He’s going to give you heart. Whatever he’s doing is always going to be 100%. He’s going to set amazing screens.”

Leave it to Jokic to shed light on what’s so appealing about Green and his fit with the Nuggets. Green’s both a throwback player because of his grit, toughness and fundamental game, but also a modern big who’s athletic and versatile enough to play both frontcourt spots in the Nuggets’ dynamic offensive attack.

Green’s offensive game is selfless, sound and simple, but he’s still aggressive in his role. It may sound elementary, but Green just knows his own game and has a great understanding of what his strengths and weaknesses are. When Green, a career 38% three-point shooter, is open, he lets it fly from three. When defenses converge on him, he makes the right pass. When an opportunity presents itself around the basket, he’ll try and score.

That mentality carries over to the defensive end of the floor too. Green isn’t a high-flying shot-blocker, but knows how to use his athleticism and 7-2 1/2 wingspan to be a deterrent at the rim. In the third quarter against Minnesota, Green didn’t block this Anthony Edwards layup attempt but still forced the miss.

Defensive rebounds don’t make highlight reels, but keep your eyes on Green when opponent’s shots go up. He’s always boxing someone out.

Green takes pride in his defense and won’t shy away from calling the rest of his teammates out if he feels they’re not playing up to his standards. After his Nuggets debut last week, a 106-103 loss to the Suns, Green said he observed Denver sometimes looking “lazy” on the defensive end of the floor during the first four games that he missed. It’s also clear from his comments over the last several days that he doesn’t think the Nuggets communicate enough on the defensive end of the floor.

Against Minnesota, Denver played two quarters of excellent and two quarters of horrendous defense. The Nuggets held the Timberwolves to 22 points in the first quarter and just 20 in the fourth. However, Minnesota tallied 43 and 31 points in the second and third quarters respectively.

“We’ve just got to learn how to do it for 48 minutes,” Green said of Denver’s defense. “Once we get that together we’ll be a tough team to deal with.”

After their win over the Timberwolves, which moved the Nuggets to 3-4 on the season, Denver still ranks a ghastly 28th in the league in defense. But there have been signs of growth.

The Nuggets held the Suns to just 106 points last Friday. After a disastrous third quarter in Minnesota on Sunday where Denver allowed 36 points, the Nuggets outscored the Timberwolves 41-25 in the fourth. Tuesday’s two strong quarters of defense can serve as a real building block moving forward.

Baby steps.

Denver will be in business if it can ascend to the defensive team that Green and many within the Nuggets’ locker room think they can. Because as Green’s come to learn over his five weeks in Denver, the Nuggets’ offense always runs like a well-oiled machine as long as No. 15 is in uniform.

Denver’s All-NBA center turned in another sizzling performance Tuesday, finishing with 35 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, three steals and one block. Most Valuable Player votes aren’t tabulated after seven games for good reason, but if they were, Jokic would be on the short-list for the award. He’s averaging a ridiculous 24.1 points (61.4 FG%, 47.1 3P%), 11.7 rebounds and 11.9 assists per game.

“One of the best,” Green said of Jokic. “He’s different.”

Jokic also had one of the his best deliveries of the early-season when he found a streaking Green in transition with a bounce-pass that’s sure to end up in the big man’s end-of-season highlight reel. It’s sometimes a process for players to learn how to play with Jokic within Denver’s offense since he’s as unique of a player as they come. But Green seems to be catching on quickly just three games into his Nuggets tenure.

He won’t forget the lesson he learned Tuesday: when Jokic has the ball in transition put your head down and run. He’ll find you.

“He’s the best passer in the league right now,” Green said.