Nikola Jokic – C+
We’re used to Jokić controlling the game. At his best, he is not just dominating but dictating, to the point where point totals are almost irrelevant when deciding the best player on the floor. That’s not what happened in Game One. The Wolves got a better start and outclassed the Nuggets in clutch time. Save for a short spell in the second quarter, Jokić was not in control. Frankly, he wasn’t good enough, even if he was the Nuggets’ best player.
Jokić finished with 32 points, but he struggled from the field. He got nine 3s up in the loss and only connected twice. After the game, Jokić said he was comfortable with the shots he took. But he didn’t look comfortable. He missed several shots inside and took a handful of 3s that felt more like concessions than adjustments. This would all be more tenable had the Nuggets gotten the ball popping, but Jokić turned it over seven times in the loss. Rudy Gobert even read and broke up the floater-zone alley-oop to Aaron Gordon. The Wolves were built to stymie this offense and succeeded in the opener.
Jamal Murray – D+
Murray got off to another slow start from the field in the second round. He was laboring out there, clearly affected by his left calf strain, which became most troublesome on defense. It’s one thing for Murray to go cold, but his inability to hang with Mike Conley was most concerning. On the other end, Anthony Edwards guarded Jamal Murray for much of the night, with Jaden McDaniels guarding Michael Porter Jr. instead. Murray sputtered out of the gate while Edwards was scorching hot. The juxtaposition was hard to ignore.
Murray would eventually find a rhythm on offense. He hit some big-time shots in the second half, but Denver had difficulty getting stops. Murray wasn’t alone in the defensive struggles. Still, his was arguably the most concerning, considering his injury. It won’t magically heal overnight. This is something he’ll have to navigate throughout this run.
Michael Porter Jr. – B+
Porter played with great energy out of the gate, helping keep Denver attached while the Wolves opened the game on a huge run. Murray and Jokić were ineffective initially, so Porter stepped up again. He worked hard on both sides of the ball, finishing with 20 points, four made 3s, three steals, and one block. His production faded in the third quarter. He missed some open looks, and Denver’s top options took the baton. It might have been enough had Denver been more effective on defense, but the defending champions don’t want to be considering hypotheticals. There’s a short runway now to get this thing off the ground.
Aaron Gordon – D
This is going to be a difficult series for Gordon. He’ll either guard up a position with Karl Anthony-Towns or down one for the shifty and explosive Edwards. He’s a great defender who is not particularly well suited for his primary assignments in this round. His inability to shoot and how it affects this matchup is also well-documented. Gobert is remarkably effective as a paint guardian with AG on the floor. The Nuggets got crunched during his minutes.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – D+
The Nuggets are seemingly content to endure Edwards’ onslaught if they shut off the other valves of Minnesota’s offense. That’s all good in theory, but Pope still has to go out and fall on the sword. He played hard as ever and found moments to be disruptive, but he can’t guard Ant. Oh, and lest it go unmentioned, the ‘other’ Wolves got theirs anyway. It was too easy for them to score in the second half.
Reggie Jackson – A-
Guess what wasn’t a problem in Game One? The Reggie Jackson minutes! He and MPJ flipped the game on its head in the first quarter. The Wolves opened up the game on an 18-4 run. Jackson took the floor and went to work on, wait for it — defense. He stripped Nickeil Alexander-Walker before feeding Porter for an alley-oop. He also knocked down a step back three. So much went wrong for the Nuggets, but the second unit’s hands are clean.
Christian Braun – A-
Braun did a good job defending Edwards. He was Denver’s most effective option for at least making life harder on the young superstar. So far, the Nuggets miss Bruce Brown’s offense more than anything. This iteration of the bench can defend. They all finished with a positive plus-minus.
Petyon Watson – C+
Watson grabbed four rebounds in roughly five minutes. His athleticism popped, and his approach was encouraging. The youngest player in the rotation brought the right mentality. He rebounded well, but he finished scoreless. He also air-balled a corner three. The Wolves aren’t worried about that shot, which might be why Watson was essentially cut out of the rotation.
Justin Holiday – B
Denver cruised with Holiday on the floor. He grabbed five rebounds, recorded a steal, and knocked down a three. He was on the wrong end of some Naz Reid brilliance in the fourth quarter, but ultimately, he was a +19 in roughly 16 minutes played.
