Last month, the player report cards were highly positive, after the Nuggets went 10-2 in the month of February. This month, In the 6th edition of Denver Nuggets’ player report cards, the grades evened out a bit. The report cards will include Nuggets who appeared in 5+ games in March and played 8+ minutes per game in those games.
With that 5+ game and 8+ minute threshold, there are a season-high of 13 player grades to hand out. This is due to only two players (Michael Porter Jr. and Russell Westbrook) appearing in all 15 games last month, along with the fact that Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray missed a combined 8 games.
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 are trying to show Coach Michael Malone that they can be in the playoff rotation and who is struggling to make an impression at the end of the season?
The honors program hoopers (A- grades or better)
Aaron Gordon: A (October: B, November: NA, December: C+, January: B+, February: B, Overall: B)
Gordon was one of the bright spots this month, averaging 18.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG on insane 58.9/57.5/80.5 shooting splits. Not only is he having a career-best year from beyond the arc, but he has become an actual sniper from three. In March, Gordon also became the primary scoring option in several games and was up to the task. He’s looking healthy and effective entering April.
Christian Braun: A- (October: A, November: A, December: C-, January: A-, February: A-, Overall: A-)
Christian Braun does Christian Braun things. Outside of Nikola Jokic, CB has been the most consistent Nugget this year, having just one down month this entire season. Much like Gordon, the former Jayhawk has also been incredibly efficient, shooting 56.6% from the field and 47.1% from deep in the month of March.
Sadly, these are the only honors program hoopers for the month of March, but that does not mean that other players weren’t also putting in work to keep the Nuggets afloat and in the 3rd seed in the west!
The class average court-goers (C to B+ grades)
Nikola Jokic: B+ (October: A+, November: A+, December: A, January: A-, February: A+, Overall: A)
For 99% of the players in the NBA, Jokic’s monthly stats and performance would be an A+ performance. Unfortunately for him, he is graded against his own greatness and this was one of his weakest months this year, in part due to injury. He averaged 30 PPG, 13 RPG, and 9 APG, but shot just 28.3% on 3FGs and played poor defense at times, ending his chances at winning MVP this season.
Peyton Watson: B+ (October: D+, November: B+, December: B-, January: B-, February: NA, Overall: B-)
On the flip side, the expectations for Peyton Watson are much lower due to his role and the fact that he is still developing as a player. In March, P-Wat was a great stand-in starter when needed and is showing offensive efficiency and defensive impact with his 1.7 blocks per game. He is truly rounding into form and playing his best basketball right before the playoffs.
Jamal Murray: B (October: C-, November: D+, December: B, January: A-, February: A, Overall: B)
After a horrendous start to the year, Jamal Murray has now been solid or flat out great for four months in a row. Coach Michael Malone is playing him substantial minutes, but his 23.0 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 4.1 RPG are still impressive. His defense and shooting consistency has been a bit up and down in March however, making it just a good month, rather than a great one for him.
Russell Westbrook: B (October: C-, November: A-, December: A-, January: A-, February: C, Overall: B+)
Westbrook was the other key player in addition to Gordon who helped keep the Nuggets afloat while Murray and Jokic both missed a handful of games in March. His turnovers remain a concern (team-high 3.9 per game), but his positive impacts on the game well surpass his veteran minimum contract for Denver.
DeAndre Jordan: B (October: NA, November: C, December: C-, January: C-, February: C-, Overall: C)
DeAndre Jordan had a couple absolutely stellar games this month, despite appearing in just five games (the minimum needed to qualify for a report card). He had an 11-point, 15-rebound, 4-assist game against the Rockets and a 10-point, 17-rebound, 7-assist game against the Bulls. He remains an incredible emergency big option/backup center depending on the matchup.
Jalen Pickett: B- (October-November: NA, December: C, January: NA, February: C+, Overall: C+)
Jalen Pickett had a pretty solid month as a backup PG for Denver, recording a team-best 5.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. His FG% looks deceptively low at 38.5%, but the Nuggets do not care considering he connected on 41.9% of his three-pointers in March. It is unlikely that he will be in the playoff rotation, however after seemingly being a lost cause early this season, he has turned it around.
Spencer Jones C+ (October-February: NA, Overall: C+)
Hello, Spencer Jones! Making his first appearance in this series, the two-way contract player got some minutes this month and looked like he belonged, playing stingy defense and making some good contested shots inside. His shooting stroke doesn’t quite look NBA ready, but for a two-way player he has produced some nice minutes for the Nuggets.
Zeke Nnaji: C (October-January: NA, February: A-, Overall: B-)
Nnaji is another player that has cooled off after a hot month of February. He is still shooting the ball well at 41.2% from beyond the arc in March, but his rebounding numbers have declined a bit and his overall impact doesn’t quite seem at the level it was in February. It will be interesting to see if Nnaji is in the playoff rotation for Denver and Coach Michael Malone.
The problem players (C- grades or lower)
Michael Porter Jr.: C- (October: C-, November B+, December: A-, January: B+, February: A-, Overall: B)
Much like every other month, MPJ had some monster games, especially at the end of the month, but overall he was very inconsistent and his poor shooting single-handedly lost them a few games. He went a mere 34.7% from beyond the arc in March and has been the worst defender in the starting unit consistently over this last month, getting picked on repeatedly.
Vlatko Cancar C- (October-February: NA, Overall: C-)
Vlatko looks like a guy who is returning from a substantial injury… because he is. There have been some good moments, especially when the Nuggets were down players in the rotation, but he has been nothing too special and appears to be a replacement level reserve player for Denver, who probably won’t see many (if any) playoff minutes.
Hunter Tyson: D+ (October: NA, November: C, December: C, January: NA, February: D+, Overall: C-)
It’s tough to see how the Hunter Tyson experiment can turn around. He looks outmatched from a physicality standpoint frequently and while he plays hard, he does not offer much on the defensive end and still cannot find his rhythm from deep, connecting on an inept 31.3% of his threes, which is supposed to be his best NBA trait.
The Nuggets will begin their April campaign and enter the home stretch of the regular season against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. The Wolves could very well be down several players after their brawl in the Detroit Pistons game that leaked into the crowd. Denver needs to take full advantage of this and start out the month well.