Nuggets training camp: Five takeaways from Day 1

Five takeaways from the Denver Nuggets first day of 2020-21 training camp.

Training camp is now officially underway with the Denver Nuggets opening their doors to the media on Dec. 1.

The team won’t begin practicing until Dec. 6 but even on Day 1, there was plenty of information to glean from the Nuggets thanks to their media availability.

1. Will Barton feeling healthy?

One of the biggest questions for the Nuggets entering training camp and the 2020-21 season was the health status of veteran swingman Will Barton.

Nursing a nagging knee injury that bothered him at various points throughout the season, Barton didn’t play in any of the seeding or postseason games during the NBA restart. Now, with Barton’s age (29-years-old), injury history (he’s only played more than 60 games in three seasons) and the emergence of Michael Porter Jr., Barton’s future and role with the team are in a more precarious position than anyone can have ever expected.

Barton, who was having a career season in 2019-20, averaged 15.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks in 33.0 minutes per game. He also shot what would be career-highs of 45.0 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from 3-point range.

Fortunately for Denver, Barton appears to be ready to go for training camp and should be in the Nuggets’ facility by Thursday after passing the COVID-19 safety protocols.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters that Barton “feels a lot better,” while teammate Monte Morris says that Barton feels “the best he’s ever felt.”

A fair warning though: Paul Millsap said the same thing during the NBA restart and looked worse, physically, than ever.

2. Training camp battles galore

As expected, Malone says that the only two starting spots that are cemented are at point guard (Jamal Murray) and center (Nikola Jokic).

That leaves the starting roles at the wings and forward spots completely open to change, and multiple players have merits that make them interesting options for the Nuggets.

Porter, a second-year forward with a knack for knocking down 3-pointers and crashing the glass at 6’10,” is one such player. However, while Malone believes that Porter is an “All-League” talent that impressed him in the 19 games the Nuggets played during the NBA restart, even he will have to earn his spot in the starting lineup.

Barton, Gary Harris, JaMychal Green and Paul Millsap are also expected to battle for starting roles.

3. Nuggets feel the impact of Jerami Grant’s decision

“We’re not the same team, especially defensively.”

Those were the words from Malone when asked about the Nuggets losing forward Jerami Grant — a Swiss Army Knife in the frontcourt — to the Detroit Pistons in free agency.

Denver also moved on from Mason Plumlee and Torrey Craig, two of the five best defenders in the Nuggets’ rotation. Their losses are another reason why Malone acknowledges that they won’t be the same team.

As many have written, including here at NuggLove, Malone is right about Grant’s loss — specifically — impacting the defense. This isn’t because Grant was some all-world defender with ancient techniques to disrupt offenses but because he had a solid combination of basketball IQ, athleticism, length and instincts that’s more difficult to replicate than it would seem.

Even Green, whom Denver signed shortly after Grant’s decision to sign with the Pistons was made public, has a skillset much more like Millsap.

Still, while Malone seems glum about the loss of Grant, there are young and hungry players who may prove to be more than capable of replacing him.

Aside from MPJ, 7’2″ combo forward Bol Bol and two-way signing Greg Whittington also have what it takes to make the Nuggets forget about…

Wait, who are we talking about again?

4. Malone excited about new additions

That said, while the free agent losses were disappointing for those in Denver, there are multiple additions to be excited about.

Green was a player that the Nuggets had interest in signing last season and whom maintained a close relationship with Malone afterwards, coming to Denver because he was impressed by the team’s resiliency and unselfishness.

Rookies R.J. Hampton and Zeke Nnaji have already proven themselves to be charismatic rookies loaded with potential; they don’t have to be thrown straight into the fire due to the Nuggets’ depth and their long-term success has been prioritized by the franchise.

Per the Denver Post’s Mike Singer, Nnaji will battle with third-year pro Isaiah Hartenstein for the backup center role.

Celebrated point guard Facundo Campazzo is a player that Malone has watched for years, and one that Morris — who will likely join Campazzo in the second unit backcourt — isn’t surprised to see in Denver, considering Malone’s love of playmakers.

5. Nuggets focusing on increasing 3-pointers, free-throw attempts

It was only a few seasons ago when NBA analytics hit it’s stride, prompting teams to value efficiency more than ever and altering the way the game has been played ever since.

One such change has been in regards to shot-selection, with shots from 3-point range and near the rim deemed to be the most efficient shots for players to take.

There’s much to be said about what types of 3-pointers players should take and which players — or which situations — make operating in the midrange a better option. Nonetheless, it can’t be denied that increasing the amount of 3-point attempts in particular has led to teams appearing to score at their highest clips since the 1980s.

Denver, who ranked 26th in 3-point attempts (30.6) and free-throw attempts (20.9) last season, is looking to play a more modernized style of basketball now.

By getting to the line more and taking more threes, the Nuggets would likely improve both their scoring average (111.3, 19th in the NBA) and offensive rating (111.0, 16th in the NBA) from last season.

A team with a great collection of offensive talent, even last season, there’s no reason that Denver should rank in the bottom half of the league in categories like these.