Denver Nuggets: 3 takeaways from the team’s scrimmages

2. Prized rookies ready to Rock n’ Roll

The Nuggets have two rookies on their roster in Michael Porter Jr. and Bol Bol who have captured the imagination of fans wondering what the team could look like and accomplish once these two realize their potential.

Porter was more of a known quantity due to him playing in 48 games this season and showing a knack for knocking down jumpers and corralling offensive rebounds for second-chance points. Although Porter only played in one scrimmage game for Denver, he played much like he did at his peak with the Nuggets this season.

The 6’10” power forward scored 19 points in 20 minutes while pulling down 7 rebounds (3 offensive). He went just 1-5 from 3-point range but that’s honestly not concerning because Porter’s shooting stroke is as pure as they come.

Not much was known of Bol, who signed a two-way contract with Denver and only played 8 games in the NBA G League after playing just 9 games in college. However, Bol lived up to his hype at Oregon and even showed the versatility to play on the wing. The 7’2″ center averaged 13.7 points per game, ranked 2nd among Nuggets players who took part in multiple scrimmage games.

He also averaged 6.3 rebounds (ranked 3rd among players who played in multiple scrimmages) and 3.0 blocks per game (ranked 1st on the Nuggets). Like other big men in Denver, Bol can put the ball on the floor and has a solid basketball IQ. It’s a joy to watch a player that can also score from all three levels with ease. Even though Bol shot 40% from the field and 35.3% from 3, his only inefficient game came against the New Orleans Pelicans, when he went 6-19 from the field and 2-7 from long distance.

Porter is far more likely to play in meaningful games for the Nuggets, including the playoffs. However, Michael Malone knows that if he needs both of these rookies to step up, they’ll be ready to go.