The Nuggets’ bench is about to get a much-needed boost

When the Nuggets signed JaMychal Green this offseason, Michael Malone thought Denver might have acquired its new starting power forward.

At the time, Paul Millsap was still a free agent, and Denver had loads of uncertainty in its frontcourt after losing Jerami Grant. Green, a playoff-tested veteran and a solid two-way player was the best available option to bolster their front line.

Since then, Millsap returned to Denver on a one-year contract and reclaimed his starting spot after a strong preseason and encouraging first four regular-season games. Green still hasn’t made his Nuggets debut after suffering a left calf sprain at the conclusion of the preseason. But Green went through practice Thursday and should be in line to make his Nuggets debut Friday against the Suns.

“We signed JaMychal because he is a guy who has been through the NBA wars, regular season and playoffs,” Michael Malone said. “Having some more experience and physicality should help that second group as well.”

That second group Malone’s referring to is the Denver bench, a unit that has struggled to string together productive possessions on both ends of the floor to open the season. Their youth and inexperience is a big reason why.

Denver has been playing Monte Morris, PJ Dozier, Will Barton, Isaiah Hartenstein, Facu Campazzo, and Bol Bol at times on its second unit. Dozier and Hartenstein have yet to play a full NBA season. Campazzo and Bol are both rookies. Those four are replacing Grant, Torrey Craig, and Mason Plumlee, three regular-season and playoff-tested players. The Nuggets are aware that the learning curve for their second unit could be steep.

“It’s a challenge,” Malone said. “This is a very young, inexperienced group in the grand scheme of things.”

Denver hasn’t gotten inspiring defense from its bench or starting lineup thus far. The Nuggets are 1-3 on the season and currently rank 29th in the NBA in defense. Denver is giving up 116.7 points per 100 possessions (for comparison, last season, the Nuggets’ defensive rating was 110.4). The Nuggets are also ranked 28th in three-point defense, allowing teams to shoot 43.4% from three.

“Twenty-ninth in the league in defense just sounds horrible,” Millsap said. “It’s something I take pride in. It’s something that I know coach Malone takes pride in. A lot of guys on this team take a lot of pride in it.”

Denver is especially getting hurt on the shots that their opponents are continually hunting for: corner threes. The Nuggets have allowed 50 attempted corner threes through four games, the second-most in the league trailing just the Charlotte Hornets. Opponents have shot 48% on corner threes against Denver so far this season, per NBA.com.

“You have to have discipline with a game plan,” Malone said. “How are we guarding plays? How are we guarding certain actions? You have to have discipline in terms of who are you guarding? What’s the matchup? Who are the run-offs?”

“Discipline, effort, energy all have to get a lot higher than they’ve been after four games.”

The Nuggets knew they wouldn’t have Green available for Tuesday’s loss in Sacramento, but Denver was also without Jamal Murray, a late scratch due to a right elbow contusion. Murray is expected to be back in the lineup Friday, while Green is questionable as of Thursday afternoon. Based on Malone’s comments Thursday after what he thought was a productive practice, both are expected to play.

Denver’s banking on Green bringing some much-needed stability to its second unit. The 6-foot-8 bruising forward is a stout defender and physical rebounder who shot 38.7% from three-point range for the Clippers last season. He should help the Nuggets’ second unit in all areas. Through four games, Denver’s bench has been outscored 147-128.

If he doesn’t, well, Denver will continue to search for answers. Bol has looked overmatched so far during the few chances he’s gotten to play with the Nuggets’ second unit. From Campazzo’s first few games in a Nuggets uniform, it’s clear that he’ll need some time to get acclimated to the NBA’s faster pace.

In terms of Malone going further down his bench searching for a spark, that appears unlikely this early in the season. The Nuggets want more of an extended look at what their second unit looks like when fully-healthy. If Denver did go that route, rookie Zeke Nnaji would figure to be a potential option. Nnaji impressed in spot minutes during the preseason. He also ended the preseason with the second-highest PER of all rookies.

Zeke Nnaji finishes the preseason with the second-highest rookie PER. pic.twitter.com/JIgu6GNkFp

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) December 20, 2020

Friday’s matchup against the Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and the Suns will be another measuring stick game for Denver’s defense. Phoenix is 3-1 with wins over Dallas, New Orleans and Sacramento.

“I think we’ll figure it out. Most of the time it’s just lack of energy,” Millsap said. “Once we make our minds up that we want to be a good defensive team, that’s when we become it.”