Vlatko Cancar tore his ACL playing for Slovenia and is going to miss all of next season. How big of a loss is it for the Nuggets, and how is Denver going to replace his minutes? DNVR Nuggets discusses.
How significant of a loss is this?
Adam Mares: It’s not devastating to the Denver Nuggets’ ultimate goal of winning a championship but it will certainly present new challenges in the regular season. The Nuggets now won’t have any front court depth. If there is an injury to Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, or Zeke Nnaji, then the team will have to go to a player who is either completely unproven (Hunter Tyson), out of position (Peyton Watson), or a veteran that shouldn’t be expected to play consistent minutes (DeAndre Jordan). Over the course of 82 games, that means there will be a lot of games played without an ideal power forward or center rotation.
Harrison Wind: It’s somewhat significant but only because the second unit was already the Nuggets’ biggest question mark heading into next season. Cancar was one of the Nuggets’ few known commodities off the bench. You knew what you were getting with him: Solid defense, positional versatility, and high IQ play. And he was great in his role. Was Cancar penciled in for rotation minutes next season? I think he was already behind Zeke Nnaji in the front court pecking order but still Denver’s default 10th man. Losing his reliability will hurt entering a season where the Nuggets could be turning to a lot of unproven players.
Brendan Vogt: Denver lost depth in free agency and again here with the injury. The rotation is more precarious than last season’s. That said, Denver was always betting on building the best starting five in basketball for years to come. The title hopes rest on 1-5. As for the regular season, Jokić could lead any group to a respectable record. This is more significant for Vlatko’s NBA career than for the organization.
With Cancar injured, who gets the biggest bump in minutes?
Mares: The runway is cleared for Zeke Nnaji to takeoff. There is no one waiting in the wings to steal his minutes or challenge his spot in the pecking order. Even If Hunter Tyson surprises and breaks into the rotation, Nnaji should be able to just move to center and play there. This is the best opportunity he is going to get with the Nuggets and he can either solidify himself as a piece of their future or play so well that another team offers him a better deal next summer.
Wind: Zeke Nnaji is now the unquestioned first big off the bench next season. He’s the biggest immediate “winner.” But now there’s also a pathway for someone to step into the spot that Cancar held. Coming off a First Team All-Summer League selection, Hunter Tyson now has a route to immediate minutes. Tyson looked the part in Las Vegas. There weren’t a ton of weaknesses to his game — although his defense I think is a legit question mark. Does he have the size and strength right now to play power forward full-time? I don’t think so, but there’s a chance he and Peyton Watson can be a legit tag-team duo at the 3 and 4 spots.
Vogt: It’s up for debate about who was in the rotation. But there’s a clear runway now for Zeke Nnaji after Vlatko’s injury. If Nnaji is to play backup five, that also gives extra runway to Peyton Watson. He was likely to play anyway, but Denver needs him off the bench now. There are two more names to consider: Michael Porter Jr. in the case of a stagger and Justin Holiday sliding in as the small forward. In my eyes, Hunter Tyson is still one injury or trade away from entering the conversation.
Does losing Cancar lower the Nuggets’ odds of winning the championship?
Mares: Yes, but only slightly. He almost certainly wasn’t going to be a mainstay in a playoff rotation but he was going to be helpful for getting the team through the regular season. No Cancar could lead to extra minutes for Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, or even Nikola Jokic. More minutes from those guys means more risks for injury or fatigue.
Wind: In the end, no. The Nuggets’ championship hopes rest on the shoulders of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, their five starters, and whoever become their top-2 options off the bench. I don’t think Cancar was going to ascend into one of those spots. But Denver is going to miss Cancar in the regular season. 82 games is a grind and you need eating eaters and a 9-10 man rotation to get you through the year. The Nuggets will need some of their unproven guys to become reliable so Jokic, Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope don’t wear down.
Vogt: It doesn’t help, but it shouldn’t move the needle for now. Every potential bench configuration is unproven at best, if not uninspiring altogether. The Nuggets are contenders again because their starting unit is the best in the world. It does, however, put more pressure on those five players. With each blow to the depth chart, more will be required of them in the regular season. Denver must reach the postseason with those guys feeling well-conditioned and healthy.
