Wilson Chandler is the Nuggets' Swiss Army knife

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Wilson Chandler has been the Denver Nuggets’ most valuable player this season.

Yes, through six games Chandler, who’s scored, rebounded and defended more consistently than anyone else on the Nuggets roster, has proved to be indispensable.

“Wilson has been phenomenal, I mean jeez, if he can keep this up he’s making a great case for Sixth Man of the Year,” head coach Michael Malone said after Chandler’s 22-point, five-rebound effort in Boston. “He gives us scoring, he gives us rebounding, he gives us defense.”

Take a deeper dive into Chandler and Denver’s statistics early on this year and the swingman’s influence on the Nuggets is clear.

Besides averaging 15.7 points per game, the most Chandler’s scored since the 51 games he played with the Knicks in 2010-11, he’s shooting a career-best 48.1 percent from the field, grabbing 6.2 rebounds per game, also a career-best, and doing it in a responsible 29.3 minutes per game after missing all of last season due to injury. His jumper has looked consistent and true, and even though he didn’t start out the season shooting it well from three, Chandler has hit three out of his last eight from distance.

Chandler’s 2.1 NetRtg is the highest on Denver’s roster and is one of two Nuggets players (Will Barton has a +1.1 NetRtg) that’s in the positives. The Nuggets are also scoring 4.7 points more per 100 possessions with him on the floor and giving up 7.7 points per 100 possessions more when he’s on the bench, all per NBA.com.

In short, when Chandler is playing, the Nuggets are about a league average offense and an above league-average defense. When he’s off the floor, the Nuggets are neither.

“Wilson is kind of like a utility knife; you can use him in so many different ways,” Malone said via the Denver Post. “When he was ruled out for the season last year, it was a devastating blow because we all felt that he probably checked more boxes than anyone else on the roster. If you look at offense, defense, rebounding, toughness, and intangibles, that was a big loss for us. So, to have him back to play with Gallo (Danilo Gallinari) when we go small, to guard the other team’s best wing player, rebound, it’s great to have him back, and obviously, he’s a big part of what we’re trying to do this year.”

A defensive switchblade

The 6-foot-8 swingman has already banged in the post with Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Davis and has stayed coiled and disciplined on DeMar DeRozan and Andrew Wiggins‘s endless amount of shot fakes and hesitation moves. The Nuggets, as a team, are sporting a top-15 defense in the early going and Denver is giving up just 101.2 points per 100 possessions. That’s a full 5.2 points less than they surrendered last year and a huge reason why, is Chandler’s presence.

“He’s huge [for us], he can guard 1-5, he’s a matchup problem on the offensive end, the defensive end as well, and he’s been a huge part to this early success this season,” Gary Harris said of Chandler’s impact. “That’s something we didn’t have last year and for us to have that this year is definitely huge.”

Chandler is a key cog in the Nuggets potential “Death Lineup,” which I touched on after Denver win over Boston.

Through six games the trio of Chandler, Gallinari and Nikola Jokic have registered a 37.7 NetRtg in just 23 minutes and have outscored opponents 67-40. Even better, that trio plus Emmanuel Mudiay has outscored opposing lineups 60-34 in just 20 minutes and boasts a 45.8 NetRtg, per NBA.com. Add Harris to the mix and you have Denver’s optimal closing lineup that can switch 1-4, with four players that the defense has to respect from three.

An offensive jack-of-all-trades

Getting back from any significant injury is a grueling process, but for Chandler, who missed all of last season and couldn’t be on a basketball court or do much of anything athletically for months, playing at the level he is, this early in the season, is significant.

“For me, it’s getting in game shape, getting the rhythm and tempo of the game back,” Chandler told me this summer regarding what the hardest part of returning from an injury is. “Working out and even playing in summer it’s not as intense as the real games. The quickness and movement of the game is so different.”

Through six games it’s safe to say Chandler has successfully worked himself into game shape and looks every bit the player he was two seasons ago, if not more.

The Nuggets are scoring 4.7 points per 100 possessions more when Chandler is on the floor than when he’s resting and his versatility plays a large part in that. He’s played both as a traditional three and as a small ball four this season and has already scored in every way imaginable.

Chandler is only shooting 25 percent (6-24) from three, but every trend in his game is pointing to that number climbing over the next couple of weeks. After Mudiay’s 24-point first quarter in Boston Sunday, Avery Bradley actually gave Chandler a wide open three in favor of shuffling over to guard Mudiay in the corner. That’s something you don’t see every day, and quite honestly may never see again.

Chandler isn’t one to have any wasted motion on offense. Always in control, always operating with poise.

Chandler has also been efficient in transition. Scoring 1.23 points per possession and shooting 7-10 in transition opportunities. He looks as athlteic as he was last preseason before the injury.

The 29-year-old serves as a safety net for what’s still a generally young Nuggets roster. When Mudiay gets double-teamed and picks his dribble up Chandler somehow finds a way to the ball. When Harris gets to the baseline and all of a sudden is cut off by the defense, Chandler will be there diving towards the opposite corner awaiting a pass. His IQ and awareness on both ends of the floor is a major help to the Nuggets this season and hopefully beyond.

“He’s [has such] a calming effect on our guys out there,” Malone said.

It’s early, but Chandler’s versatility and influence on both ends of the floor is already being felt by the Nuggets this season. They’ll need Chandler to keep his foot on the gas and possibly garner some votes for Sixth Man of the Year if Denver hopes to make a playoff push this season.