The young Denver Nuggets bench gives the team a spark against Pacers

The success and heart that this depleted roster is playing with should bolster so much confidence for Denver Nuggets fans. The team is fighting hard and everyone is stepping up and were ready to take on bigger roles with the injury to Michael Porter Jr. and of course Nikola Jokic’s suspension from his altercation against Markieff Morris.

With Nikola Jokic missing the game against the Indiana Pacers due to his one-game suspension, it put added pressure on the backup big men and forwards.

This was not the best game to be missing the MVP and interior force going up against the highly skilled pair of Domatas Sabonis and Myles Turner. Michael Malone gave everyone on the roster an opportunity to make an impact, playing ten players in the first quarter alone.

With the Nuggets playing with more switch-able lineups, the Pacers seemed to be on their heels and hustled back to defend instead of going after rebounds. This helped them not really miss Jokic’s presence on the glass, but the Pacers really wanted to slow the game down and force the offense to score in the half court.

The Nuggets have the ninth-best transition offense in the league. However, most of that damage is done with Nikola Jokic and his ability to start the offense with his outlet passes or having him run the break himself.

The lineups they were running allowed the team to switch everything still and even get their own favorable matchups on the offensive end. With the league being so willing to go switch hunting, the Nuggets have multiple lineups where everyone can defend and cover shooters on the perimeter.

One of the brightest spots on the night had to be the play of Will Barton, he dropped 30 points on an efficient 57.9 percent from the field. He had it going at all three levels of the floor, was making crazy shots in the lane and creating for his teammates. Barton stepped up as the team’s first option and did not disappoint Nuggets fans, getting clutch buckets that ended up sealing the game.

There were a plethora of highlights including a 30-point game, some of the most mature rookie play that I have seen in a long time, a career-high and some intense defense that the Nuggets needed up until the final buzzer sounded.

This article runs through detailed scouting reports on Will Barton, Bones Hyland, Zeke Nnaji, and P.J. Dozier.

Denver Nuggets scouting report vs Indiana: Will Barton

Will Barton is really growing into an offensive weapon, getting his shot to fall all around the court. He was the Nuggets primary scorer early in the game and always seemed to have the ball swung to him with little time on the shot clock.

He had a hot start early, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers for the first six points of the game and then got to the rim with ease throughout the rest of the first half.

Barton finished this game with 30 points, and the Nuggets needed every single one of them. He got buckets in both the clutch of the shot clock and the game. His quick scoring came in bunches when the Nuggets needed to fight back into the game, and went on multiple runs by himself including a 7-0 run late in the third quarter.

This season Barton is averaging a career-high in minutes (33), field goal percentages (47.8), 3-point percentage (39.7), and assists (4.5) He has clearly made another leap and the Nuggets have needed all of his output.

He is showing the work he has done on the defensive end as well. Barton was an animal on defense.  He slid over to protect the rim, poking the ball loose at the rim and fighting on the glass. There were multiple plays where Barton tied up Myles Turner, poked the ball free and then forcing him into bad pass outs to his shooters and eventually turnovers. He even used his fouls well, stopping easy looks at the rim.

His perimeter defense has been very impressive, he clamped up the guards he was switched onto and made life hell for players as they went up for jumpers. He is playing the passing lanes well, getting steals and deflections. He is wreaking havoc on this end of the floor and is allowing the Nuggets to switch more matchups with their plethora of wing talent.

I am very impressed with his ball control this season, especially with his ability to change direction and get to his shot at all three levels. He is fearless when attacking the rim and can make the right pass outs to his shooters or cutting big men. He is running the pick and roll to perfection, making crisp pocket passes and setting up his bigs well.

Denver Nuggets scouting report vs Indiana: Bones Hyland

Bones Hyland is becoming a weapon right before our very eyes. He looks like he has the potential to be the sixth man of the future, even when Jamal Murray comes back. He possesses that “it“ factor that only some players have. He plays with swagger and confidence and has a quick scoring ability that every team is looking to have off the bench.

This is very impressive considering he is a rookie fighting for a spot in the rotation with veteran guards Austin Rivers and Facundo Campazzo. He has a real connection with the team, he provides a spark whenever he enters the game and fans love to give him that confidence.

In his ten minutes in the first half, he knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and dished out four assists. He seems to have a real connection with Zeke Nnaji. The two of them ran the pick-and-roll to perfection with Hyland displaying supreme control in his decision making.

He operated the pick-and-roll with confidence and made the right decisions on when to attack the rim and draw the attention of a second defender. He had a tight wrap around pass that he slipped past Domatas Sabonis after getting trapped in the pick-and-roll.

He’s making high level plays such as keeping his defender on his back on the screen actions, forcing a two-on-one opportunity every time.

He is fearless when attacking the bucket and really puts pressure on the defense by getting to the rim. His awareness on where that second defender is coming from allows him to pick up easy assists. He got to the line a good amount in his limited minutes and put pressure on the Pacer bigs in the lane.

Bones is playing like a veteran with the way he controls himself in all areas. It is even showing up in his situational defense. On the last possession of the game, he fouled as the Nuggets were up three and forced the Pacers to draw up another play to get a shot to win the game. He finished the game with a very solid stat line of 12 points, three rebounds, and four assists in 22 minutes.

Denver Nuggets scouting report vs Indiana: Zeke Nnaji

Zeke Nnaji came in as the backup center and played extremely well in his minutes. He seemed to do a little bit of everything that a stretch big can do, he ran the pick-and-roll well and slipped screens to get open quickly in the lane, popped out for open looks in the midrange and beyond the arc.

Nnaji made some high-level plays and always seemed to be in the right spot on offense. He filled space when his guards attacked the rim, and flashed to the front of the rim when ball handlers were in trouble. He got a plethora of easy looks in the lane due to his off-ball work.

Nnaji give the Nuggets a backup hybrid center for the future. He finished well in traffic against some of the best young bigs in the eastern conference. He had such a strong first half, he scored eight of the Nuggets 11 points on a single run, even while being matched up against Myles Turner for most of that time.

In the second half, he came to life, scoring from beyond the arc, the midrange and the paint. He began popping out after he set screens and even was a spot up weapon in the corner. Zeke Nnaji finished with a career-high 19 points in 20 minutes of action.

Zeke played very well in his minutes defensively, and while he only finished with five rebounds, he fought hard on the glass and ensured Sabonis and Turner were not factors there. He made the right decisions on defense and played the pick-and-roll well. His length forced opponents to think twice about trying entry passes.

I would like to see him work on playing up higher on ball handlers and not allowing them that extra 6-to-12 inches that seem to make the difference.

Denver Nuggets scouting report vs Indiana: P.J. Dozier

P.J. Dozier is really coming into his own and gives the Denver Nuggets another wing/forward weapon that they can throw at teams.

His high-level ball handling and unselfishness make him a perfect pairing with this team and their pass-happy nature. I am very impressed with the leap he has made this season in his maturity. It seems like the game has slowed down a step or two for the young man.

He operates the pick-and-roll to perfection, and always made the right passes off the screen. His high-level passing is not only evident in screen actions, but the full court as well with his outlet passes in transition. His dynamic ball-handling and ability to create offense for others will prove to be a valuable weapon down the road, especially if the team begins to deal with more injuries.

He is also a weapon at getting downhill and attacking the basket. His massive frame allows him to finish with the best of them, and even throw down some monstrous highlights. He works hard in the paint for a guard with such vision and ability to create from the outside. Check out this tip dunk he had on the offensive glass late in the third quarter:

I am most encouraged about his switchability and willingness to do the little things on both ends of the floor, whether he is chasing after loose balls, switching hard or rotating over to stop a cutting big, Dozier always seems to be making winning plays.

It is by no surprise that he closed this game, due to his work on the defensive end the harassing defense he played on rookie phenom Chris Duarte.

His main matchup during his time on the court was Duarte, who ended up shooting 2-9 from the field. Dozier’s length paired with his foot speed allows him to matchup with anyone 1-3 and make their life difficult. I wish he would have been matched on Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell more, as they seemed to have their way with Austin Rivers and Facundo Campazzo when they were on the floor.

His defense has taken a massive leap since last season, he never looks lost and always seems to be on time with his rotations. This is due to his overall court vision he possesses and the feel he has for the game.