By the time the Nuggets signed DeMar DeRozan, they didn’t really have a lot of other options. The Peyton Watson standoff outlasted most of free agency, and the team was forced to sit out and wait until that situation was solved. At that point, DDR was the best choice on the board, and bringing in another proven veteran scorer was a no-brainer.
Unfortunately, though, especially with Watson being traded to Cleveland, what Denver really needs is athleticism and point-of-attack defense. And a 37-year-old DeRozan is not going to come in and help solve any of those problems.
DeRozan brings bottom-10 TS% value added on defense
In fact, over the last three seasons, DeRozan has been one of the worst defenders in the entire league when it comes to true shooting value added. According to a statistic from NBA University, DeMar has a -1.7% true shooting value in that span as the primary defender, which is better than only seven other qualified players.
Other players on the list include mostly smaller guards like Jalen Brunson and Trae Young, known liabilities like Domantas Sabonis, and, surprisingly, former Nugget Bruce Brown. DeRozan and Kelly Oubre are the only wing defenders with decent size. With that size and ability, you’d think he’d at least be able to offer a decent contest, but the numbers show that clearly hasn’t been the case.
It’s especially concerning in Denver because the Nuggets don’t have the personnel to be able to hide DeMar or support him. Christian Braun is supposed to be the main point-of-attack defender, but he fell off a cliff last season, and there are questions about his ability to fill that role.
Jamal Murray is a liability who’s going to get picked on. Nikola Jokic isn’t exactly your typical defensive anchor as a center. Aaron Gordon is a good defender, but he’s aging and has major injury concerns. At this stage of his career, he can’t be carrying water for an entire defense. Cam Johnson is solid, but nothing special on that end.
Nuggets offense won't be a concern
We know the Nuggets will be fine on offense. As long as Jokic has been on the court, that has never been an issue. Sure, they needed another creator along with him and Murray, and DDR should help in that regard, but the biggest issue in recent years has been a lack of ability to compete on the defensive end.
They’ve leaned into some players like Spencer Jones, Alpha Diallo, Lonnie Walker, and others, who can offer some athleticism and defense, but these aren’t the most proven NBA players, and it’s unclear how much they’ll actually play.
I’m sure there will be some games where DeRozan scores 30 points and catches fire from the midrange, carrying the team to a win. But at the end of the day, there’s no reason to believe the defense is going to be able to climb above average, or into the top 10, and that’s what it’s going to take for the Nuggets to get back into championship contention.
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