Denver Nuggets: How Monte Morris injury opens more doors

Monte Morris was diagnosed with a hamstring strain that forced him to leave the Denver Nuggets game against the Houston Rockets. It’s a bad diagnosis for Denver, especially with this being his first game back from missing 11 games with a strained quad on the same leg.

The Nuggets expect him to be out for at least a few games, however, this is might be the thing the Nuggets need to sustain a playoff run this year. This gives head coach Michael Malone an opportunity to experiment with more unique lineups and styles of offense and this might force them to go after a free agent such as Austin Rivers.

Though unfortunate, Monte Morris’ injury allows several Denver Nuggets to step up

This is a perfect opportunity for the thirty-year-old rookie, Facundo Campazzo to step up. “Facu” reads the game so well, he is a great asset to have alongside Nikola Jokic and young secondary scorers Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon.

Campazzo has averaged three assists per game this season. Jokic really seems to enjoy playing with him, the duo is very effective in the pick and roll together. Campazzo is great at picking apart cross-court passes when he and Jokic have the focus of the defense. The pairing of Jokic and Campazzo is good for +4.1 per 100 possessions when the two are on the court together, according to Basketball-Reference.

Campazzo has really stepped up on the defensive side of the floor recently, he moves his feet well and has active hands that have a knack at poking the ball free. His ability to stay in front of the blinding quick Ja Morant was very impressive, coming up with two steals against one of the best young guards in the league. His willingness to pick up the length of the court and put constant pressure on ball handlers will be an asset in the playoffs, even if the Nuggets decide to go after a veteran in free agency or decide to go with Monte Morris as the starter.

Will Barton will also have an opportunity to prove his worth. Barton had a great scoring game against Memphis, finishing with 28 points on 5-of-6 shooting from behind the arc.

He struggled on the defensive end and had real trouble keeping up with Ja Morant off the dribble and in the paint. However, when it mattered he had a game-changing block on Morant in double overtime.

Barton is an efficient and reliable shooter off the catch, but he needs to be playing the shooting guard role. This season he is shooting 37.5 percent from behind the arc on almost five threes per game. Barton is not the best creator, he is a career 2.6 assist per game player, but is averaging 3.2 this year in this ball-centric offense.

He seems to be overwhelmed when tasked as the lead guard. However, because the Nuggets moving most of their offense through Jokic, Barton could realistically return to the shooting guard role.

This is the perfect opportunity for Michael Malone to test an offense featuring Jokic as the point guard, bringing the ball up more and facilitating more from behind the arc.

Jokic is averaging just under 9 assists per game, good for fourth-best in the entire association. He is more than fit to handle the basketball every time down the floor. Monday night against the Grizzlies, the Joker hit bucket after bucket in the clutch to seal the victory.

Not only was he big down the stretch, but he also filled up the stat sheet finishing with 47 points, 15 rebounds, and getting his initial 8 assists. While it might be unrealistic to ask him to do more on the offensive side, the Nuggets might need to do just that.

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Jokic does seem to be more comfortable working as a screener and then flashing to the high post or midrange and facilitating after a possible switch or general confusion in the defense. The Joker will have plenty of time to run the offense with Campazzo like this, but Malone might want to see what can happen with him creating all their offense for periods. With less than 20 games remaining on the year, the Nuggets are running out of time to throw different lineups and styles out. This might be their best option if they do not target another point guard in the buyout market.

Austin Rivers is also a realistic option for the Denver Nuggets to go after. Rivers is an intelligent point guard with a great feel for the game and an ability to reliably shoot off the catch. Rivers has been able to be surrounded by star talent his entire career and does not fear the big moments. If the Nuggets were able to pick him up, he would likely be tasked with a large role that he is very prepared for. His unselfish playstyle should allow him to be incredibly effective in Michael Malone’s offense as well.