Denver Nuggets 5-on-5 Roundtable
By Tim D'Elia
Who’s the most valuable player on the Nuggets roster currently?
TD: I’m gonna go with Kenneth Faried. That man is a machine, he has been in such good form recently and he has just churned out double-double after double-double recently. Faried possesses an energy and a thirst to rebound unlike any other player in Denver or the league really. Majority of Denver’s comebacks are sparked by the Manimal throwing down a massive slam, or making a hustle play that leads to a score. This is so undervalued by many. The Manimal’s added a jumper in recent weeks which I am really starting to like the look of. If he can stretch the floor he can be one of the most dynamic big men in the league. Malone is going to continue to teach him better defense, which he is already pretty good at, but if he can become a brick wall on defence who gobbles up rebounds and stretches the floor, Kenneth will be absolutely terrifying to come up against.
EW: This is a extremely difficult question to answer and one that I don’t think has a wrong answer. The easy answer would be Danilo Gallinari, given the fact he’s the team’s CURRENT best player. However, I think Nikola Jokic is Denver’s most valuable commodity currently and going forward. The fact he’s come in as a rookie and essentially made Nuggets fans forget about Jusuf Nurkic should tell you something already. There’s not many centers who possess Jokic’s passing, vision, shooting and touch, something that he’s only gonna be able to implement even more so going forward. His ever improving offensive post game, also should get Nuggets fans excited. I think Jokic is the closest thing we’ve seen to Marc Gasol and pretty much possess a identical skillset to the Grizzlies star big man. Jokic clearly won’t ever be the most athletic guy ot the best defender, but with his skillset and improved strength – Denver could be looking at having the best center in the league for years to come.
AU: I got to go with Big Honey on this one and go with Nikola Jokic. Everything about his game is improving minute by minute on the court whether it be with his back to the basket game or his defense. Combine that with him still growing into his seven foot frame and that he has become a focal point in the offence with his passing from the high post and you just don’t find guys falling out trees with his skill set. Once he gets his minutes up and can cut down on the silly fouls he takes from time to time and its not hard to see a premier front court player that you can build a team around.
AN: It’s gotta be Nikola Jokic. Mudiay is untouchable too but the way I see it, every single team could use Jokic, while some teams may not want a point guard who can’t shoot.
JD: Probably not one that anyone else will mention, but Nikola Jokic is probably the most valuable player because of his upside. Gallinari is the best player without question but Jokic has the opportunity to become a Marc Gasol type player in this league. Jokic has better range than Gasol and he already has a good fade away and set of post moves. He’s a good passer and ball mover and if he can develop a genuine skip pass out of the post he could be they key to the offense. Jokic has a genuine chance to be a superstar in this league and he has to be off limits for other teams.