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Denver Nuggets: Expectations for Mason Plumlee

By Mathew Huff

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 21: Mason Plumlee #24 of the Denver Nuggets moves against Bobby Portis #5 of the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on March 21, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Nuggets defeated the Bulls 135-102. 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. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 21: Mason Plumlee #24 of the Denver Nuggets moves against Bobby Portis #5 of the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on March 21, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Nuggets defeated the Bulls 135-102. 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. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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The Denver Nuggets’ back up center, Mason Plumlee, will have a lot to prove this coming season.

Mason Plumlee has proven to be a somewhat reliable back up center for the Denver Nuggets so far. While he is not supposed to be one of the offensive focal points of the scheme, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

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For starters, he absolutely needs to work on his free throw shooting. Per basketball reference, Plumlee shot a putrid 45.6% from the charity stripe. That is as bad as Lonzo Ball’s terrible free throw percentage, let that sink in for a minute.

He also saw a slight dip in his points per game as he averaged 7.1 last year. The season before, he averaged 9.1 points per game during his time with the Denver Nuggets. The time he was in Portland before he was traded, he possessed a scoring average of 11.1 per game.

It is not that he had a bad year last season. It just felt like he could have been a little more effective in the offensive department.

Plumlee’s never had a well refined offensive arsenal, but there is still a reason teams like Denver and Portland have taken a chance on him during his career. He can still provide some valuable hustle plays, grab some meaningful rebounds and even set some hard screens. These intangibles could be the difference in a win or a loss.

All in all, the Nuggets only need him to provide meaningful minutes off the bench while Jokic gets a breather. If Plumlee can provide the Nuggets around nine points per game along with double figures in rebounding and an improved free throw percentage, then the Nuggets’ second unit will be in good shape.

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Mason Plumlee needs to have a statement year and live up to his current contract.

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