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Denver Nuggets: The five best players you’ve never heard of

By Grayson Moore

BOSTON, MA - 1990: Blair Rasmussen #41 of the Denver Nuggets looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics circa 1990 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1990 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - 1990: Blair Rasmussen #41 of the Denver Nuggets looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics circa 1990 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1990 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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PORTLAND, OR – 1986: T.R. Dunn #23 of the Denver Nuggets dribbles the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers during a game played circa 1986 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1986 NBAE (Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR – 1986: T.R. Dunn #23 of the Denver Nuggets dribbles the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers during a game played circa 1986 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1986 NBAE (Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1. SG/SF T.R. Dunn

Career Stats in Denver(10 seasons): 4.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.3 bpg, 46.7% FG%, 5.9% FG3%, 10.1 PER, 30.6 Win Shares

Trust me, T.R. Dunn was way better than his stats portray him to be.

However, there are some stats that you can probably get behind. Dunn has the 2nd most games played in franchise history(734) and the 4th most minutes played(18,322). He has the 7th best collective value over replacement player score in Nuggets history(16.0) as well as the 9th most defensive win shares(15.7). What he was really known for, however, was his defensive prowess.

Defense

Sometimes the stats just don’t show everything.

Dunn does have the 2nd most steals in franchise history and an average of 1.5 a game. The conventional defensive statistics never really show the entire scope of a player’s talents.

He also had a career defensive box plus/minus of 2.0, an above average score, yet not remarkable. His Nuggets defensive rating of 109 is certainly nothing special. But there has to be a reason Dunn started 456 games during the best era of Denver Nuggets basketball, right?

His perimeter defense is not something easily translatable into stats. On a poor defensive team, Dunn was something of an anchor, guarding the other team’s best guard or forward and often shutting them down. His 3 All-Defensive team selections on a team that averaged a bottom 5 league wide finish in defensive rating in the 3 years he was selected should show you the impact he had on the Nuggets.

I personally did not get to watch him play, but from what I have read about his contributions and the effect he had on the 80s Nuggets teams is not to be understated, yet is incredibly underrated. His 10 seasons in a Nuggets jersey seem unremarkable when you look solely at the stats, but his effort and expertise on the defensive end make him one of the best Nuggets players of all time.

Unfortunately, he is too often forgotten by supporters. Hopefully, you’ll remember him the next time you’re thinking about the best Nuggets players ever.