Denver Nuggets: Three players who have earned a roster spot next season

Denver Nuggets who earned a roster spot next season: Austin Rivers

"“When you get something taken away from you, and you’re sitting at home for a month or two and you’re watching guys on TV, it changes you. In a lot of ways.”"

That’s how Austin Rivers described joining the Denver Nuggets after being released from the league in the regular season via The Denver Post’s Sean Keeler.

It was almost a match made in heaven since Rivers was just sitting at home with no NBA contract and the Nuggets needed a replacement for the injured Jamal Murray. While he’s not as elite at it as Jamal, the two play similar styles, jacking shots up, and excelling next to the incredible facilitation of Nikola Jokic.

Like most major injuries, signing their replacement mid-season is usually a patchwork job, just trying to fill the void opened.

Rivers has excelled in his role these playoffs, averaging 11.5 points in the Portland series in 33.7 minutes per contest and nailing 48 percent of his 3-point attempts. He doesn’t have the same inside game or pick-and-roll acumen as Jamal but his shooting helps open up the court for Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. to do their thing.

When Rivers was on the court in the first round, he posted a 132 offensive rating, second only to JaMychal Green when removing garbage time minutes. It’s not that he’s better than Jokic or MPJ, but his spacing has been crucial to helping others operate.

An ACL injury typically takes around a year to heal, meaning there’s a need to fill in Jamal’s minutes for most of next season. Tim Connelly and the Nuggets brass will surely be hoping to find someone in free agency who can hold down one of the guard positions until Murray is healthy.

Austin’s play and ability to operate around Denver’s best players might have earned him a spot as that player. After all, it’s easier to retain a player already on the roster who knows his teammates and the offensive system than find a new one altogether.