5 things to watch out for in the Denver Nuggets preseason games

Michael Porter Jr. #1 of the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter of preseason action at Staples Center on 4 Oct. 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Michael Porter Jr. #1 of the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter of preseason action at Staples Center on 4 Oct. 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Denver Nuggets: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Bruce Brown (1) reacts after a slam dunk against the Philadelphia 76ers during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)
Denver Nuggets: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Bruce Brown (1) reacts after a slam dunk against the Philadelphia 76ers during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)

How does Michael Malone use Bruce Brown?

If you look at Bruce Brown’s role for the Denver Nuggets, it’s as a 3-and-D guard/wing who can slide into the starting lineup for several players while also fitting in next to ball-dominant bench pieces like Bones Hyland.

If you look at Bruce Brown’s role for the Brooklyn Nets, he has been the prototypical 3-and-D role player, but he has also been a (super) small ball five, a stretch four, a tiny rim runner, and a screener for elite scorers like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

He’s one of my favorite players to watch in the NBA because regardless of his role, he finds a way to make it work.

On this Nuggets roster, he’ll be asked to do less since Denver doesn’t have the same dearth of big men as the Nets. But we know that Brown can do more, will Michael Malone use that to his advantage?

We’ll likely see him slide into Jamal or MPJ’s role if either of them rests a game or two but in this team’s full-strength lineup, can Brown find minutes in unusual places?