Zeke Nnaji makes his biggest statement yet

The nets at Impact Basketball must hate Zeke Nnaji.

The 6-foot-11 big man, who’s armed with a picturesque jump shot, wore out the nylon at the renowned Las Vegas basketball academy in the lead-up to the NBA draft last November. Nnaji worked out at Impact for around 200 days from May through November during the prolonged pre-draft process. A source close to Nnaji estimated that he shot at least 500 jumpers per day.

That’s around 100,000 jumpers in a seven-month span.

Nnaji worked out six days a week — he took Sundays off — while stationed in Vegas. He somehow gained 20 pounds while on a vegan diet and arrived in Denver with a chiseled frame, 5% body fat, and continued to shoot and shoot and shoot.

The Nuggets were always sold that Nnaji would be a jump-shooting threat at the NBA level. He was a quality shooter throughout his four-year high school career in Minnesota. But at Arizona, coach Sean Miller told Nnaji not to shoot threes. In Denver, the Nuggets’ coaching staff has instructed the rookie to let it fly at every opportunity.

“When you pass up an open look in a possession, sometimes you’re not going to get that look back,” Nnaji said. “And it might lead to a turnover or just a worse shot later on in the possession. So if you’re open, shoot it.”

It’s not just how Nnaji, who had no Summer League and dealt with a truncated training camp, has shot the ball since entering the Nuggets’ rotation three games ago that continues to stand out. It’s how confident and how quick his trigger has been for a rookie who’s playing necessary, meaningful minutes on a team that fashions itself a contender. That’s pressure no matter the opponent, time, or situation.

Then again, when you pack a silky, straight-up-and-down jumper that could be shot out of a phone booth, you better shoot that thing every chance you get.

Nnaji has launched 12 threes in 48 total minutes over Denver’s last three games. He’s made eight of those attempts. Over this recent stretch of three games, Nnaji is firing up 10.4 triples per 100 plays, which is tied with Facu Campazzo for a team-high.

Five days ago in a blowout win over the Cavs, Nnaji went 4-6 from three in 19 minutes. Two nights later against the Thunder, Nnaji’s playing time was cut in the second half but he still managed to get up one three-pointer in six first-half minutes. While guarding LeBron James at times on Sunday and playing against the No. 1 rated Lakers defense, Nnaji shot 4-5 from three-point range and scored a career-high 16 points in 24 minutes in the Nuggets’ 122-105 win.

On the season, Nnaji is 9-15 from beyond the arc. Last year at Arizona, he made just five total three-pointers.

“I loved how he shot the ball,” Michael Malone said of Nnaji last week after he hit four threes vs. Cleveland. “…That he was committed to taking those shots. There was no hesitation. He shot the ball with great confidence.”

Nnaji’s jumper alone makes him a candidate for regular rotation minutes. Having a catch-and-shoot threat like that at the four or five next to Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap or JaMychal Green puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the defense. Malone’s been careful to say that Nnaji and fellow rookie RJ Hampton are only getting regular minutes due to injuries up and down Denver’s rotation, but even at full strength, Nnaji looks like Denver’s fourth-best big man after Jokic, Millsap and Green. Malone has usually deployed four big men in his traditional 10-man rotation too. Nnaji should continue to see minutes. He’s earned them.

There’s another piece to Nnaji’s game that had Denver’s war room jumping for joy on draft night when he slid to 22nd overall where the Nuggets were picking: his defensive versatility.

Check out this defensive possession Nnaji had Sunday against LeBron James. A fadeaway off of one foot is as good of an outcome as you can hope for vs. LeBron.

James did cook Nnaji on a post-up early in the second quarter and then on a straight line drive two minutes later, but I’m intrigued. Nnaji has a motor that never stops, quick feet for someone his size, is strong for a 20-year-old — just look at his body compared to the rest of the 2021 draft class — and he’s smart. He’s a quick study too and those close to the Nuggets say Nnaji is extremely coachable.

“He is going to have a chance to be one of those versatile defenders,” Malone said. “He can guard some smaller wings, some bigger guys. He’s athletic. He talks, and he’s a really smart basketball player.”

Nnaji’s shot along with his basketball IQ may be what keeps him in the Nuggets’ rotation long-term. If Malone’s going to play a rookie regular minutes, that rookie better not make schematic and game plan mistakes, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. Nnaji’s all-around IQ gives him a chance to stay on the floor.

He got a heck of an endorsement late Sunday night from the Nuggets’ MVP candidate, who took Nnaji aside for individual 1-on-1 instruction throughout the win over the Lakers.

“He’s shooting the ball right now really well. That’s something that we need,” Jokic said. “He was really good defensively. He’s still learning, He’s still a rookie, but I think we can help him a lot when we play together.”

“He’s a really good listener. He’s willing to listen. He’s trying. I think I can help him a little bit. Nobody wants to tell a young guy to do something stupid, so we’re all trying to help the young guys. And he’s really smart. He’s working really hard and it’s paying off.”

Nnaji potentially being a part of Denver’s regular rotation also boils down to the fact that he stayed ready. You can lose a coach’s trust easily in the NBA. One way to do that is to look overwhelmed when you finally get on the court. Nnaji has not, even when up against the championship favorites. He passed that test.

It was a statement in itself.

“In this business, you never know when you’re number is going to be called. And you better be ready when it is called,” Malone said. “And that’s what I’m proud of most.”