The Denver Nuggets started the season out on the wrong foot on the injury front. They've got Cameron Johnson back in the lineup after missing three games due to an ankle injury, but they're still without three other crucial pieces of the rotation. That makes for a crowded group, and someone likely has to take a back seat once at full health. It should be Tyus Jones who slides down the bench while the Nuggets give the second-unit playmaking duties to DeMar DeRozan.
Julian Strawther is going to be out until sometime in December at the earliest after suffering a knee sprain in the Nuggets' fourth preseason game. But they should be getting Spencer Jones and Alpha Diallo back soon. Both players are expected to assume a role in head coach David Adelman's rotation. What the role is after the speedy development of rookie second-round defensive monster Trevon Brazile has made his mark on the rotation remains to be seen.
But the Nuggets would be 11-deep rotation-wise with Spencer and Diallo, which is generally one more than Adelman would want to use. Clearly, to make room for them, the Nuggets need to put Tyus further down the bench and alleviate the backup point guard headache.
The Nuggets would be better with DeRozan at backup point guard
For one, the Nuggets have to split up DeRozan and Tyus. They've been terrible together on both sides of the ball when they share the court. Minus 20.8 points per 100 possessions net rating bad. And when Tyus is on the floor by himself with any combination of the four others, the lineup only has a 91.5 offensive rating, while the offense puts up 120.0 without him on the floor. Plus, Tyus only has 3 total assists in the 50 minutes he's played.
Sure, the offense is only a 105 with DeRozan on the court and any combo of the other four players around him, according to DataBallr. But in fairness, DeRozan is also adjusting to a new role off the bench for the first time in his career, and he's also had to play 50 minutes with Tyus at point guard.
The offense of the second unit would improve greatly by moving DeRozan to the backup point guard spot. He's made some great passes already, and his assists have been steadily climbing as he's adapting to his teammates. DeRozan had only 5 assists through his first three games, but he's had 5 assists in each of the last two games, bringing his season average up to 3.0 per game.
Both Tyus and DeRozan are poor defenders, but at least when Diallo returns, the Nuggets can throw him alongside DeRozan in the backcourt and put Brazile in with them to give the unit some defensive flair.
Jamal Murray's been working his tail off already because the non-Murray minutes are bad with Tyus running the point. It can only go up by moving Tyus down the bench and letting DeRozan run the non-Murray minutes.
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