It feels like just yesterday that the Denver Nuggets were opening their season against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But they've now played eight games, 10% of the season, and there are clearly some players who've been impressive and others... maybe not so much. Stock risers and stock fallers from opening night, if you will.
The Nuggets are just 5-3 and sitting in 9th in the Western Conference standings, but there's obviously a long way to go, and the Nuggets are just now starting to hit their stride. I'll start with the stock fallers, then hit the risers.
Stock faller No. 2: Nikola Jokic's three-point shot
It's not Nikola Jokic as a whole in this spot. He's been mostly great, with four triple-doubles in the eight games, but his disappointing three-point shot needs to be addressed. He's going to be great in the paint, of course, but it would have been nice to see that three-point rate get closer to 36% like his career average rather than the stinky 22.9% it is. And obviously, there's still plenty of time to do that. But for now, without the mojo, Jokic's three-point shot makes the list.
Stock faller No. 1: DeMar DeRozan
The hopes were high that DeMar DeRozan would fit in with the Nuggets better than he has. He's been adjusting to coming off the bench for the first time in his career. But the adjustment has been rough, with DeRozan shooting just 42.6% from the field and a dreadful 18.2% from three. He's only averaging 10.7 points in 24.6 minutes, and he just hasn't been able to find his footing on the offensive or the defensive side of the ball.
Stock Riser No. 4: Christian Braun
Christian Braun has been great over the first 10% of the season, and he makes this list because his defense has picked back up to the level that the Nuggets expected it to be when they gave him the five-year, $125 million extension. Braun has been hounding on the perimeter, getting physical, and he's averaging a robust 2.0 steals per game.
But it was his three-point shot that needed to fall to get him back on the positive side of things, and he's been raining threes, knocking them down at a 37.8% clip. He even hit a career-high 7 in one game against the Phoenix Suns.
Stock Riser No. 3: Marvin Bagley III
Marvin Bagley III may be the best backup center that Jokic has ever had. Sure, we're only 10% of the way into the season, but Bagley has been great and fun to watch. His motor doesn't stop, and as the anchor of the non-Jokic minutes, he's given them the defense in the middle that was missing last year. Bagley is currently fourth in 2P% vs. expectation, just in front of Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama, who is fifth. Not bad.
Bagley is only seeing 12.3 minutes per game behind Jokic, but his per-36-minute numbers of 17.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks show he's doing just fine in his role.
Stock Riser. No 2: Jamal Murray
Pretty crazy we find Jamal Murray on this list, considering he's coming off a season in which he made his first All-Star and first All-NBA appearance. But Murray's playing perhaps the most motivated and exciting ball we have ever seen him play. He's shooting the lights out from three, averaging 49.2%, which is propelling him to 24.3 points per game.
But the biggest reason he's so high up on the list is due to his defense. He's playing the best defense that I can remember watching him play. A big reason for that effort must be the extra energy he has from not always being the primary ball handler who brings the ball up the court. It's been fun to see Murray lay down some pressure on the perimeter.
Stock Riser No. 1: Trevon Brazile
Clearly, Trevon Brazile, the Nuggets' rookie second-round pick, has been the biggest out-of-nowhere guy to start the year for the team. The 6-foot-10 forward is crazy athletic, and he's already had a few highlight-reel dunks and blocks, including the two three-pointers he blocked in the Nuggets' come-from-behind win over the New Orleans Pelicans in the home opener that he largely sparked.
Brazile's got range from three. He's an elite rebounder in the way he just soars over everybody to grab it two-handed, and he's shown he can play some incredible defense. He's first on the list because most wrote him off to a bench role, but he's proven to be a solid rotation piece and an integral part of the Nuggets.
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