Nuggets look-backs: PJ Dozier

Heading into the NBA’s restart on June 30, the DNVR Nuggets crew is looking back on the Denver Nuggets’ season, where each player left off, a target stat that every player should shoot for and one half-court heave or bold prediction for everyone on the Nuggets’ roster.

Where PJ Dozier left off

In the early years of the Nikola Jokić-era Nuggets, the team lacked length and lineup versatility, but that changed in the abbreviated 2019-20 season. With Micahel Porter Jr. entering the fold, the addition of Jerami Grant, the selection of Bol Bol, and the arrival of PJ Dozier — the 6-6, 205 pound guard whom the Nuggets signed to a two-way deal on October 18, 2019 — Denver’s roster got a makeover. We’ve come to call this group the ‘longbois’ at DNVR Nuggets, with young Dozier fitting in seamlessly. On June 30, 2020, the team announced they signed Dozier to a multi-year deal.

Dozier made his Nuggets debut on January 15, 2020, with the Charlotte Hornets in town. He impressed, putting up 12 points, four total rebounds, and two assists. Dozier shot 5/7 from the floor that night, including 2/4 from deep. That production didn’t surprise head coach Michael Malone or anyone else who was paying attention. Dozier was on a tear in the G League, which Harrison Wind explained about a month ago:

Before that Wednesday in January, Dozier dazzled in the G League on a two-way contract. He poured in 31 points, ten assists, and eight rebounds against the Long Island Nets in November. Three nights later, Dozier posted 25 points, ten rebounds, and five assists. And just four days before his Nuggets debut, Dozier tallied 32 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists.

Dozier, of course, wouldn’t put up such gaudy numbers as a third-string guard in the NBA, but he showed promise on the defensive end and potential as a rotation-level player across 21 games. Every Nuggets fan remembers the seven Nuggets that marched into Utah and stole the most improbable win of the season back in February. Dozier played nearly 25 minutes that night, demonstrating his ability to provide utility as an orbiting piece around Denver’s supergiant, Nikola Jokić.

“I was looking at him in training camp and when he was playing with Bol Bol,” Jokic said of Dozier after his impressive debut. “He’s kind of tall. He can handle the ball. He’s a really good point guard. He can rebound. He’s really good at finding the pocket pass and cross-court pass, just because of his size, he can see. He can score too, and he’s kind of smooth. I like his game.”

Consistent outside shooting could be a barrier between Dozier and successor status at the backup point guard position. Still, his length and defensive prowess are undoubtedly intriguing when one considers Denver’s evolving lineup flexibility and newfound extensiveness.

Long live the longbois.

Stat Line through 21 appearances: 4.1 ppg, 1.4 trb, 1.4 ast | 39.6/25.0/63.6

Target Stat

≥ 15 mpg in the seeding games

Dozier won’t factor heavily into Denver’s playoff run, if at all, but he might get some extended burn as the Nuggets accelerate back onto the freeway in Disney World. Malone already acknowledged he’s taking a less than intense approach to these impending seeding games. We might expect him to toy around with new lineups and inject a heavy dose of young talent with the primary goal of entering the postseason as healthy as possible.

As we await the details of what follows the rescheduled NBA Finals, it’s safe to assume the Nuggets won’t have Summer League or much time at all in the preseason to give their younger players a real look. They might want to see more of Dozier before the high-leverage play begins. Of course, we have yet to see a photograph or video capturing him inside the bubble. That, uh, complicates things.

Half Court Heave

Vogt: ≥ 10 ppg in the seeding games

Dozier is averaging 13.2 points per 36 minutes in 2019-20, and I think there’s a chance he’ll see some significant run in these seeding games. How will Dozier look in an elevated role? I don’t expect him to shoot well, but it’s not hard to imagine him utilizing his size and strength, riding potential height advantages to efficient scoring around/at the rim.

Check out the rest of our Nuggets look-backs:

Jamal Murray |Will Barton