The newest member of the Denver Nuggets is DeMar DeRozan, as first reported by Chris Haynes. It's certainly not a bad move, especially not for $3.9 million, since he'll add scoring and creation off the bench, but he won't help their defense, which is where they need help the most.
Denver had the 21st-ranked defense in the league last season, and Aaron Gordon will have to be healthy for just about all 82 games for that to change. Without him (he played just 36 games), their defense crumbled last season, and the front office hasn't added extra insurance in that department this offseason. Trading away Peyton Watson certainly didn't help.
That shouldn't take away from what the DeRozan signing means, as he averaged 18.4 points per game in 31.2 minutes across 77 contests last season for the Kings on 49.7% shooting from the field. He's still lethal in the midrange. Denver needed to boost its bench, and since he was one of the better options still out there, the move makes sense.
It just might not move the needle the way that the Nuggets need it to.
DeRozan won't help the Nuggets' lackluster defense
Denver didn't agree to sign DeRozan with defense in mind, so it's unfair to hold him in a negative light because of his defensive deficiencies, especially at 37, but that's the reality of the situation.
Last season in Sacramento, the team had a defensive rating of 125.5 with DeRozan on the court and 119.5 with him off the floor. The Kings had a bad defense overall (the third-worst in the league), so he wasn't the cause of their problems, but he still contributed.
Sacramento wasn't chasing a championship, either, not like Denver is, or supposed to be doing. The Nuggets' offense, which was the best in the league last season, can help them get there, but their defense will hold them back. It'd be hard to see them squeak by with a 15th-ranked defense again, as they did during the 2022-23 regular season, when they won it all.
DeRozan won't suddenly become a plus defender to change that, and defense might, unfortunately, be what ultimately dooms Denver. You can't blame him for that, but you can direct your blame at the front office, which they should be used to after this week's events. Or you can hold out hope that things will work out, one way or the other.
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