In the 5th edition of Denver Nuggets’ player report cards this season, there are an excess of positive grades to hand out. Similar to the January report cards, these grades will include all Nuggets who saw the court in 5+ games in February and played 5+ minutes per game in their court time, indicating that they were fully in the rotation at least for a portion of the month.
Looking at the 5+ game and 8+ minute threshold, Peyton Watson does not qualify, however there are a whopping 11 players to sort out for February grades. This is mostly due to there being four playoff rotation-piece Nuggets missing time, allowing for players like Jalen Pickett, Hunter Tyson, and Zeke Nnaji to get more time with Jokic and Co.
The player report card grades are weighted in relation to the specific role and expectations of the player entering the month and to a lesser extent, entering the season. Which Nuggets proved that they could be usable in the playoffs and which guys are starting to lose steam this season?
The honors program hoopers (A- grades or better)
Nikola Jokic: A+ (October: A+, November: A+, December: A, January: A-, Overall: A+)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is fantastic and the Oklahoma City Thunder are having a historically great season… Nikola Jokic is still the best player in the entire world and should be this year’s MVP. Jokic averaged a triple-double in February on 70.3% true shooting. This is his third month meeting this insane criteria. No other player in NBA history has even one of these months.
Not only did he average a triple-double for the month but he is fully on track to average a triple-double for the entire year as well. Oh yeah, and he is still shooting 44.0% from beyond the arc, despite also chucking up the most heaves in the NBA this year. M-V-P.
Jamal Murray: A (October: C-, November: D+, December: B, January: A-, Overall: B-)
Jamal Murray returned to peak form in January, but his month of February was even better. He looks shiftier and quicker than ever and his confidence shooting is back to “Bubble Murray” caliber. The Blue Arrow shot 51.9% from three in the month on volume (7.0 attempts per game). He hit 5+ threes five separate times this month, despite only appearing in 11 games.
His season PPG average of 21.3 is sneakily his highest scoring average in his entire career as well. The woes of the early season are officially gone and if Murray keeps this up, he will be on pace for proving the Nuggets right for giving him a max contract.
Christian Braun: A- (October: A, November: A, December: C-, January: A-, Overall: B+)
Christian Braun continues to do Christian Braun things. He has done a great job all season of not trying to become Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and instead just elevating his own game to become the best version of himself. He averaged 17.7 PPG and 7.2 RPG in February while shooting 57.9% from the field.
Cade Cunningham and Norman Powell are currently the top two favorites to win Most Improved Player in the NBA this season, however Braun certainly has a case to be in this conversation as well. He has raised his averages across the board this year, in part due to getting more minutes, but also due to stellar play.
Michael Porter Jr.: A- (October: C-, November B+, December: A-, January: B+, Overall: B+)
MPJ recently had one of his worst games of the season against Milwaukee, however don’t let this distract from the fact that the 6’10” forward was incredibly good in February. He had shooting splits of 50/42/86 and averaged 22.0 PPG.
On top of the impressive shooting, he also recorded 9.4 RPG in February, which is MPJ’s most RPG ever in a month. His flexibility to play either SF or PF while other guys are out was especially important in the 9-game win-streak and his spacing continues to be crucial for Denver.
Zeke Nnaji: A- (October-January: NA, Overall: B+)
Who is this Zeke Nnaji and where has he been the last two seasons? The strong PF from Arizona has finally found his spot in the rotation and has been great! GM Calvin Booth made it very clear that Nnaji was on the chopping block at the trade deadline, but if he continues to play like this, not only is it good the Nuggets could not find a deal, he may be in the playoff rotation.
Nnaji was in the mix for the best defender of the month in February and averaged 1.5 blocks per game in his 20.3 minutes per game. He was solid as a spot-starter in 3 matches as well, showing that he truly is a PF not a small-ball C. On limited attempts, he even shot 42.9% from deep. There are still some inconsistencies and bad stretches, but this is a prolific stretch for him.
Now onto the players that performed well in their roles, but did not quite make the honors program in February.
The class average court-goers (C to B+ grades)
Aaron Gordon: B (October: B, November: NA, December: C+, January: B+, Overall: B)
Aaron Gordon flew under the radar in the month of February, having a mixed bag of great performances, okay performances, and a few stinkers. In the end, Mr. Nugget did what he does and was a great glue guy and tertiary piece for Denver’s success in February. His FG% was a bit down this month, but FT% and 3FG% are both still in a great spot.
His averages on the season are a bit down from his last two seasons with Denver, sitting at 12.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3.1 APG, but he is being the ultimate team player and is starting to pick it up on the defensive end as well.
Jalen Pickett: C+ (October-November: NA, December: C, January: NA, Overall: C)
There has been a Jalen Pickett renaissance in February. After looking completely unplayable last season and in the summer league and preseason this year, he is beginning to look like an actual NBA PG. His statistics actually do not do him justice for how well he performed in the month, averaging 4.2 PPG and 2.2 APG in 16.2 MPG.
His shooting splits don’t look great either, however his on-court impact is in the details and he was the backup PG for the 9-game win-streak, proving that he is a capable guard in this league. It will be important for him to string together another good month in March.
Russell Westbrook: C (October: C-, November: A-, December: A-, January: A-, Overall: B+)
Westbrook was injured for most of this month but just hit the cut off for a report card, appearing in 5 games this month. He looked a bit rusty returning from injury and had a very poor showing against his former team in the Los Angeles Lakers, forcing up 17 shots in the loss.
His shooting percentages in these 5 games also were not great (34.5% from the field) and his trend of turnovers and fouling is really becoming a problem. He averaged 3.4 turnovers and 2.4 fouls per game in this stretch. At the same time, he does still provide needed energy and a scoring punch off the bench, this just feels more comparable to a vet-minimum guy.
Now onto the fellas who are even bigger question marks and represent the weaker points of this Nuggets team as the end of the season nears.
The problem players (C- grades or lower)
DeAndre Jordan: C- (October: NA, November: C, December: C-, January: C-, Overall: C-)
In what is likely a non-issue with the emergence of Zeke Nnaji, DeAndre Jordan is still the Nuggets primary backup center for the regular season. The 36-year-old big man will not be in the playoff rotation, as Aaron Gordon and potentially Nnaji will fulfill that role, but it is a bit unfortunate that Denver was not able to add another C.
Jordan added a modest 3.1 PPG and 5.2 RPG in February, but his ceiling remains incredibly low and his floor is slightly below that of an average backup C in the NBA. Regardless, he is still a fantastic locker-room guy and a great veteran for this team even if his play is uninspiring.
Julian Strawther: C- (October: B-, November: C-, December: C-, January: C, Overall: C-)
Julian Strawther being a playoff rotation player has already been questionable throughout this season, but the loss against the Laker showcased just how much of a liability the young guard could be in a playoff setting. He was absolutely hunted on defense, which is not uncommon for young score-first players, but it was the lowest point of the season for Strawther.
If his three-point shooting was in the 40%+ range it would probably be something that the team could live with, but in February he shot a poor 29.7% from beyond the arc. He does add some slashing and scoring in other areas, but it was another below-average month for Julian. It will be interesting to see if Peyton Watson takes some of his minutes when he returns from injury.
Hunter Tyson: D+ (October: NA, November: C, December: C, January: NA, Overall: C-)
At age 24, the Nuggets front office thought Tyson might be able to contribute right away and be an instant three-point shooting threat and high-effort player for the team. Unfortunately, he just has not looked like an NBA player for much of this season. In February, he connected on just 33.3% of his field goals and 30.8% of his threes, which was supposed to be his NBA trait.
To be fair, he does only get very limited stretches and once the team is healthy he is not expected to contribute in any way. Regardless, the fact that he is on a full contract and not a two-way contract is not great for the Nuggets, as he is a very replaceable player from what he has shown thus far this year.
The players get their chance to start out March on the right foot on Sunday morning against the Boston Celtics in TD Garden.