It’s official, the worst kept secret in Denver sports is out. Paul Millsap is no longer a Denver Nuggets player, instead, he will be taking his talents to the Barclays Center to suit up for the Brooklyn Nets. We knew Millsap’s departure was inevitable, heck, the writing was on the wall from the moment the Nuggets signed Jeff Green to a two-year $10 million contract.
At this point of the off-season, the Nuggets rotation is rather self-explanatory – except for the obvious question marks surrounding the point guard spot. Yet, you could be forgiven for pondering possible front-court rotations.
Currently, the Denver Nuggets have a multitude of options at both forward spots (and for backup center), with most of their pieces being interchangeable. Aaron Gordon can play either the three or the four. JaMychal Green has spent the majority of his career running power forward roles, yet teams have begun to toy with his positioning by playing him at the three and five sporadically.
Then there’s the heir apparent, or so we hope! Michael Porter Jr is clearly a small forward, but his 6’10” 218lb frame and RIDICULOUS 43.9 percent career three-point conversion rate (on 4.6 attempts per game) makes him an attractive option as a stretch-four. And we can’t overlook Jeff Green’s versatility on both ends of the court!
Beyond the core rotation of Gordon, Green, Green, and Porter Jr the Denver Nuggets also have some high-upside projects to develop. Both Zeke Nnaji and Bol Bol project to have intriguing skillsets that could translate to multiple positions on the floor.
During his rookie year, Nnaji spent 25 percent of his court time at the center position and 76 percent of his minutes came as a power forward, the rest was spent at the three. Bol Bol’s time on the floor reads similar with 66 percent of his minutes coming at the power forward spot and 34 percent at the center position.
You can also throw in Vlatko Čančar if you expect him to get minutes.
Obviously, the starting center spot goes to Nikola Jokic, that goes without saying. But, what the Denver Nuggets have done, is add two more versatile wing players to a roster already teeming with positionless potential. In turn, this will allow the Nuggets to slide the likes of Nnaji or Jeff Green into small-ball five roles, or give Bol Bol time as another perimeter-based big-man; there’s now a clear scope for developmental minutes should Michael Malone chose to go down that route.
At this juncture in his career, Paul Millsap is very much a one-position player best suited to a limited role on a contending team. While the Denver Nuggets could both accommodate that role and make use of Millsap’s veteran leadership on route to another deep playoff run, the opportunity to diversify the rotations unpredictability was too good an opportunity to pass up,
Heading into the 2021-22 NBA season, the Nuggets can now mix-and-match their frontcourt rotation based on match-ups and fitness; their roster is like an old Nokia cellphone, where every cover is interchangeable. In an ever-evolving NBA, where on-court versatility is almost a pre-requisite for a long career, the Nuggets have set themselves up for both immediate contention and long-term stability.
And no, Paul Millsap leaving the Mile High City didn’t help or expedite this process, but by vacating his position within the roster he allowed the Nuggets to pivot towards players who better accentuate the talent in place.
Neither JaMychal Green nor Jeff Green moves the needle for the roster, but their presence within the rotation has cemented the Denver Nuggets as one of the most diverse and unpredictable rosters in the Western Conference – and that can only be a good thing.