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

The Denver Nuggets have officially beaten the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the NBA playoffs in six games. It was a gutsy series win for an injury-riddled roster that just doesn’t know how to quit.

Denver came out victorious without Jamal Murray, Will Barton, or PJ Dozier, all key rotation pieces for the backcourt.

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In light of the injuries, head coach Michael Malone has looked further down the bench to find contributors as well as get some help in late-season pickups like Austin Rivers.

Even two-way player Markus Howard is getting a fair share of minutes (and shots). The only other player in these playoffs on a two-way contract and serious minutes is Garrison Matthews for the Washington Wizards. The Wizards just scraped into the playoffs, Denver has title aspirations.

As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention and an injury to one or more players has opened up playing time and opportunities for others to shine. This article is looking at players who have grasped that opportunity and might’ve even just earned themselves a roster spot for 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.

Denver Nuggets who earned a roster spot next season: JaMychal Green

This one is less of a roster spot since JaMychal Green has a guaranteed contract next season worth $7.6 million, but with a mid-range salary, Green’s contract is a very tradeable one if the front office thinks they see an upgrade.

He has been the first big off the bench in the playoffs, ahead of Paul Millsap and JaVale McGee, the latter who is getting DNPs.

Green is playing 19.8 minutes a night in the playoffs and putting up 6.3 points a game on respectable shooting splits and filling in the gaps on defense. He’s more mobile than Jokic or Millsap and has been able to protect the rim, grab big rebounds, and hang with Portland’s guards in screen actions.

His competency is mirrored by Portland’s weak backup frontcourt. We all know how much Jokic is salivating when he sees Enes Kanter or Carmelo Anthony guarding him in the post. It’s a nice luxury to have with Green backing up the soon-to-be-announced 2020-21 MVP.

JaMychal’s also exceeding in Denver’s ball movement offense with a playoff career-high 10.1 assist percentage, so he’s swinging the ball, getting others involved, and sipping from the pass-happy fountain that is Denver basketball. That career high is also matched by a career-low turnover number for the playoffs.

When the offseason rolls around and if there are any big names on the trade market, JaMychal’s contract might be bundled with some others to make the money match. It’s not as cut and dry though as Green has played well in his role off the bench. He has earned his roster spot.

Denver Nuggets who earned a roster spot next season: Markus Howard

It’s quite incredible that Michael Malone trusts Two-Way player Markus Howard as much as he does these playoffs, asking him to come in for short spurts, hunt for his shot, and try to keep some pressure on the scoreboard.

Malone traditionally shrinks his playoff rotation down to around eight players (or seven and a half) but again, necessity is the mother of invention and he is replacing Murray’s production by committee.

Appearing in all six games in the first round, Howard has averaged 5.5 points but is attempting 3.3 3-pointers each game. If they go in – great. If they miss – no harm in trying to strike gold with production from a Two-Way guy.

Also, he’s not a stranger to making a few highlights in the minutes he has been given.

Whether he’s brought back on another Two-Way deal or a full roster spot, it’s promising for the young guard that Malone has trusted him this much in the playoffs.

The Phoenix Suns are a different animal and a harder out than these Portland Trail Blazers. It’ll be interesting to see if Michael Malone is as eager to dip into his bench depth.