In his 3 seasons in Denver, the Nuggets have grabbed 74.5% of available defensive rebounds and 25.2% of available offensive rebounds when Zeke Nnaji was on the court. Those numbers almost perfectly reflect league averages, a surprise to most fans who see Nnaji himself as a poor rebounder. Through two games this season, Nnaji has yet to grab a single rebound on either end.
However, the numbers with rebounding can be deceiving. For example, Steven Adams is widely considered one of the strongest players and best rebounders in the NBA, but in Oklahoma City, he never reached 10 rebounds per game despite playing over 30 minutes per game for several seasons. The reason was that boxing out was more important for the Thunder, a team that featured several good rebounders on the wing and guard positions (as well as Russell Westbrook trying to pad his triple-double stats).
Zeke can improve as a rebounder. Zero rebounds is a pretty concerning mark. But zero is also deceiving. He is leading the team in fouls drawn per 36 minutes by a wide margin, with almost all of those fouls coming off of offensive rebound chances. He’s also part of a defensive lineup that is off to a great start defensively. Last season he led the Nuggets in DRTG. Balancing his low rebounding numbers with the other ways he makes an impact on defense and on the glass is important for fully understanding the impact of his extremely unique skill set.
The List
- KCP running PnR
- Zeke Nnaji vs the switch
- Michael Porter Jr jump passes
- MPJ reads
- MPJ fastbreak
- Reggie playbook
- Jamal Murray running point
- Last play of the game
