3 Nuggets don’t travel with team to Orlando
By Evan Siegel
Three prominent Denver Nuggets didn’t travel with the team to the bubble in Orlando.
The Denver Nuggets are likely going to be pretty shorthanded once play resumes in 17 days. Gary Harris, Torrey Craig, and Michael Porter Jr. all did not make the trip down with the Nuggets to Florida, where the single worst outbreak of coronavirus in the country, and one of the worst in the world, is getting worse by the day.
The news comes just weeks after Nikola Jokic‘s positive test for coronavirus, and Michael Malone’s positive test for the COVID-19 antibodies. More and more players continue to come down with the virus, as Russell Westbrook has become the latest high-profile star to become infected.
The Nuggets have not yet specified what led to the decisions of these three players to sit out, but the team will begin relying heavily on P.J. Dozier, who the team signed during the transaction window and who has been involved with the team extensively in-and-out of the G-League.
The Nuggets were one of a few teams that had to close down their facilities once a number of employees became ill. Denver will jump back in to play as the third seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets were sharing the court with the Dallas Mavericks as word of the NBA’s suspension of play spread through the league like jet fuel.
Next. An update on Nikola Jokic's status. dark
Whether or not the Nuggets are able to hit the ground running, losing three key rotation pieces is going to be extremely difficult for the Nuggets to overcome as they are already dealing with uncertainty surrounding their superstar center. The Nuggets are desperately in need of a fresh body on their roster, and Dozier might fit the bill. The Nuggets are set to hit the court against the Miami Heat on August 1st in Orlando.