The Nuggets might have found something in Davon Reed

Davon Reed looks like he’s been here before. The national TV stage, the bright lights, the raucous atmosphere Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, he doesn’t seem to blink. Reed doesn’t get rattled, except when he’s rushing the court early to party with Aaron Gordon after his game-winning 3 vs. the Clippers last month.

Reed looks like he belongs. Maybe it’s because he has been here before. Back in 2018, Reed was coming off a rookie season with the Suns where he appeared in 21 games. He made a strong enough impression on Suns management for Phoenix to guarantee the second year of his contract. Then, one day before the Suns’ first game of the 2018-19 regular season, Reed was cut when Phoenix decided to sign a veteran to take his roster spot: Jamal Crawford.

He has bounced around since getting a roster spot pulled out from under him in Phoenix, but it feels like Reed’s found a home in Denver with a coach and front office that believes in him and on a roster where his versatility and two-way play is in demand.

Reed was impressive in the Nuggets’ 108-104 loss Wednesday in Utah. The 26-year-old tallied 13 points (5-7 FG’s, 3-5 3FG’s) 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 0 turnovers in 30 minutes. Reed was a game-high +14.

“Every time that kid gets a chance to play he goes out there and plays at a high level,” Michael Malone said postgame.

Reed has a lot going for him. First off, he can shoot the rock. Reed’s converting 47.6% (20-42) of his 3s this season. It’s a small sample but his shot is smooth. Reed can handle the ball, make the defense move, and sometimes get into the lane. He’s long at 6-foot-5 with a 7-foot wingspan, has a high basketball IQ, and defends well. Reed has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and comes up with a lot of 50-50 balls. He already has 17 steals in just 361 minutes this season. That’s six more than PJ Dozier had in around the same number of minutes earlier this year.

Reed also doesn’t make mistakes. He didn’t commit a turnover Wednesday in Utah and has just six turnovers to his name all season. Before Reed recorded one turnover in nine minutes against the Pistons a couple of weeks back, he was riding a nine-game, 142-minute streak without turning the ball over. Reed currently holds the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA out of players who have appeared in at least 25 games.

So why isn’t he playing more? It’s a valid question, especially considering Reed’s strengths are typically what Malone looks for in role players that are rounding out the back-end of his rotation. Austin Rivers has been playing well but was awful Wednesday. Facu Campazzo lost his backup point guard spot to Bones Hyland, and playing through Hyland’s mistakes but also his brilliant flashes is something Malone seems OK with at the moment. The Nuggets traded for Bryn Forbes, who scored a game-high 26 off the bench in Utah on 10-13 shooting, and are intent on playing him. Reed currently finds himself out of Denver’s regular rotation.

No Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and DeMarcus Cousins gave Reed a chance to play real minutes against the Jazz and he took advantage. He looked like he definitely shouldn’t be leaving the rotation, even when Jokic, Gordon and Cousins return.

Think ahead to the playoffs for a moment. Forbes gave the Nuggets a much-needed scoring punch against the Jazz. He was lights out from 3-point range and within the arc. He only missed three of his 13 shots. But I’m nervous about how he’ll hold up defensively in the postseason. He was Utah’s target of choice Wednesday and the Jazz easily exploited him on the defensive end of the floor. That’s going to be the game plan against Denver every minute Forbes plays in the postseason.

Reed’s a much more sturdy and stable defensive presence, and I could see a scenario where he’s the choice over Forbes in a playoff setting. He’s stronger, longer and switchable, which Forbes isn’t. You’d sacrifice some shooting, but Reed’s a dangerous enough offensive threat that he won’t capsize the Nuggets’ attack. He’s a Jokic Ball player. Defensively between the two, it’s not close.

If healthy, Denver’s top three guards entering the playoff will likely be Jamal Murray, Will Barton and Monte Morris. That fourth guard spot, which is between Reed, Forbes, and Rivers, is still up for grabs. You can make the argument it should go to Reed.

“I’m ready,” Reed said Wednesday night.

But that’s a problem for another day.

Reed looks like another diamond in the rough unearthed by Tim Connelly’s staff. The Nuggets liked Reed at Summer League, then liked him some more at training camp, then made him their first choice for a call-up this season from their G League affiliate in Grand Rapids. Reed’s signed to a two-way deal right now but you definitely get the sense he’s someone Denver wants to keep around.

Unless Reed’s in a trade, I’d be surprised if he wasn’t on the roster next season. If the Nuggets are worried about losing him to another team in free agency, Denver could sign Reed to the open roster spot it currently has and lock him in for next year too. I wonder if the Nuggets would cut Vlakto Cancar to secure Reed and Cousins to full-time roster spots ahead of the playoffs. Just a thought.

It would be quite the rise. Three months ago, Reed opened the season playing for the Gold in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. But he has always remained confident in his talent. It’s why Reed was willing to pay his dues over the last couple of seasons. Wednesday night he capitalized on a golden opportunity.

“Before, I never really got an opportunity,” Reed said. “And now everybody’s a little surprised. But again, it was just a lack of opportunity. It was never a question of my game.”

“I don’t think there should be any more question of if I’m a fringe NBA guy or not.”