In the 2nd Denver Nuggets’ player report cards of the 2024-2025 season, there is a lot to discuss. These player grades will only include Nuggets who appeared in 5+ games in the month of November and 8+ minutes per game in those appearances, indicating that they were in the rotation at one point or another.
Due to the 5-game requirement and 8-minute per game requirement, players like Aaron Gordon, Vlatko Cancar, Trey Alexander, and Zeke Nnaji will not be evaluated. That leaves the report card with 10 Mile High Basketball players to grade for the month of November where Denver went 8-5.
The player report card grades will be 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 thrived in November and which Nuggets will be thankful that they can start fresh in a way entering December?
The honors program hoopers (A- grades or better)
Nikola Jokic: A+ (Last month: A+)
The Joker is still “joking around”! The 3x MVP has been phenomenal all season long and November was no different. He appeared in 10/13 games, missing three due to the birth of his son, and feasted in every game he played. Jokic averaged 29.0 PPG, 13.5 RPG, and 11.2 APG in the month and shot 52.6% from beyond the arc on 3.8 attempts per game.
He is still the front-runner for the 2024-2025 Kia MVP and if not for his 3-game absence at New Orleans and at Memphis twice, the Nuggets might have easily gone 9-4 or 10-3 in the month of November. Instead they went 1-2 in the non-Jokic games and looked a bit lost without him.
Christian Braun: A (Last month: A)
Welcome to Braun Taun. The former Jayhawk has been a revelation for the Nuggets this season and has been by far the team’s most consistent player not named Jokic. Much like how he started the season, he is putting pressure on the rim, knocking down his three-pointers at a high rate (51.4% in November), and is one of the few Nuggets playing quality defense overall.
Braun averaged 16.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.3 SPG, playing in all 13 November matches. Additionally, the young wing is generating 3.8 FTAs per game which is tied for 2nd most on the Nuggets in the month. He has not just replaced Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but has outdone him entirely.
Russell Westbrook: A- (Last month: C-)
All aboard the Westbrook hype train! After a very shaky start to the season, the veteran PG and former MVP has settled in quite nicely as a 6th-7th man off the bench and a very good spot starter when needed. In November, Westbrook started 3 games in Jamal Murray’s absence and averaged 26.2 minutes per game.
Not only did Westbrook average 12.9 PPG, 6.6 APG, and 4.5 RPG but he has showcased the most effort and defensive intensity on the roster. Additionally, he shot 40.4% from beyond the arc on 4.0 attempts per game this month. He still has the occasional poor decision or bad shot, but overall Russ has been a huge plus for the Nuggets rotation this year.
The class average court-goers (C to B+ grades)
Michael Porter Jr.: B+ (Last month: C-)
MPJ has really turned his season around after a slow start in October. He has proven to be more comfortable as a three-level scorer this season and looks more fluid in the offense in general. Perhaps the biggest indicator of this is his 3.1 APG in the month and his 43.7% shot rate from deep.
He averaged 20.2 PPG and 7.1 RPG in November as well and has been trending upward as the clear 2nd best scorer on the team, ahead of Murray. The only downfall of MPJ has been that he has been one of the bigger culprits of bad defensive play. This was most noticeable when the Nuggets were trounced by the New York Knicks and OG Anunoby scored 40 points.
Peyton Watson: B+ (Last month: D+)
Watson has been a pleasant surprise this month, following the Aaron Gordon injury that has sidelined him for the past 10 games. P-Wat struggled to start the season, likely due to missing the entirety of the preseason but has rounded into form nicely, especially as the starter at power forward.
The former UCLA Bruin has averaged 11.5 PPG and 3.8 RPG to go along with 2.0 stocks per game. He has also looked far more capable from beyond the arc (especially in the corners) as he shot 38.9% from three. With no timetable for Gordon to return, Watson will be asked to run with the starters for the foreseeable future.
DeAndre Jordan: C (Last month: NA)
Well, Jordan being in the Nuggets rotation in November was certainly not the plan entering the season, but this is where the team has ended up. After the injury to DaRon Holmes II and both Dario Saric and Zeke Nnaji looking incapable of providing 8-10 minutes of productive basketball, Jordan has stepped in and been… fine. He rebounds and has the occasional dunk or block.
In November, the 36-year-old center averaged 2.6 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 9.8 minutes per contest. It is tough to grade him too harshly as he is simply out there to not mess up, soaking up minutes before Jokic returns and he does just that. This likely cannot be the long term solution for the backup center spot, but in November it worked well enough.
The problem players (C- grades or lower)
Hunter Tyson: C- (Last month: NA)
Tyson is another player that is tough to grade as his impact on the floor in November was minimal, however he also rarely touched the ball and was not asked to do much within the flow of the offense. The “Monroe Menace” appeared in 11 games, averaging 2.6 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 9.8 minutes per game.
The downside and reason for the C- grade opposed to a C grade is that he has not really sparked in any way. Tyson shot just 25% from three in November, which in theory should be his best NBA trait. He is also below average as a defender who can be put on skates at times and he commits fouls due to being out of position. December may treat him better.
Julian Strawther: C- (Last month: B+)
Strawther is one of the few Nuggets who started off the season hot and has since fallen off, rather than seen his numbers or efficiency increase. In November, the 6’7” SG averaged 8.8 PPG on 36.7% from three-point range. With that being said, he has been wildly inefficient outside of that, connecting on just 39.1% of his total shots.
The perk has been that he is still playing hard, driving to the paint here and there, and has a couple of very nice blocks in the past few games. He remains an iffy defender and his efficiency will need to eventually come up before playoff time, but there are good signs for Strawther’s future outlook.
Jamal Murray: D+ (Last month: C)
Oof. Jamal Murray has been bad. In his 10 November games, the Blue Arrow has not looked right and appears to still be playing himself into NBA shape. Across the 10 matches, he shot above 50% just twice and above 40% from three just twice as well. For the month as a whole, he connected on a mere 43.0% of his shots and 31.9% of his three-pointers.
There have been a couple of good games and halves mixed into the month, but overall the max contract situation is looking more grim, unless Murray can get on track. His points, assists, and efficiency have all dipped this year and he has been one of the worst defenders on the floor for Denver. Good news is that he is still Jamal Freaking Murray and has the talent and drive to fix it!
Dario Saric: F (Last month: F)
This may be the last month that Saric is appearing on these report cards, as once Aaron Gordon returns from injury, the Croatian may not see any minutes. He has already been in Michael Malone’s dog house this month for his poor play, causing the coaching staff to rely on DeAndre Jordan instead.
Saric did spot start three games while Jokic was out, including a game in which he hit a clutch three-pointer, but overall the play has been lackluster. In 16.2 minutes per game, Saric averaged 4.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.7 APG in November. The season is long, so there is still time for him to figure it out, but the fit has been putrid in Denver so far.
The Nuggets will kick off their December run of basketball games on Sunday, December 1st, against the Clippers in their new arena. The Nuggets currently sit in the 7th seed in the Western Conference, but are also just one game out of the 4th seed.