5 things to watch out for in the Denver Nuggets preseason games
By Sean Carroll
Can Zeke Nnaji defend the rim?
Calvin Booth signed DeAndre Jordan for what I can only assume was a chemistry move. DJ hasn’t been an efficient NBA player for a couple of seasons now so the only other option behind Nikola Jokic is Zeke Nnaji, the third-year 3-and-D big man who hasn’t only soaked up garbage time minutes thus far.
Whether he’s ready or not, Nnaji is going to be the backup five to start the season and it’ll be interesting to see what kind of player he is. He has proven that he can hit 3-pointers at an excellent rate, drilling them at a 44 percent clip for the first two seasons of his career.
The only issue is that, standing at 6-foot-9, he’s pretty undersized for the five-slot in the NBA. There are plenty of undersized big men in the league and they overcome it by being better switch defenders, getting out on the perimeter when needed, or just learn how to defend the rim with the skills they have.
We’ll find out which one Nnaji can be but assuming he’ll also see spot minutes next to other big men like Jokic, his best-case scenario would be as a rim-protecting big that can help over regardless of who he’s on the court with.
In the preseason, I hope Michael Malone trusts him enough to make him the full-time center behind Jokic. While it won’t be the most intimidating offensive array, it’ll be key to see if Nnaji can defend the rim at a high enough level.
If he’s competent on that end of the court and his shots fall on the other, Nnaji would almost definitely be in Malone’s shortened playoff rotation. And if he proves that he’s a playoff player, he’ll be extension-eligible the following offseason and in for a payday.