The Nuggets have gotten a lot of great, surprising performances this season from guys who have had to step up due to one injury or another. Some of it has been guys taking massive leaps to surefire rotation players, like Peyton Watson. Still, there have also been smaller leaps, perhaps less impactful in the grand scheme of things, but the way Jalen Pickett has elevated this season has been absolutely huge.
Pickett has been in and out of the rotation, used sparingly at most, when everyone is healthy, but always able to jump in for some backup point guard minutes. And that’s exactly what he has offered this year, whether it’s a 5-minute stretch off the bench one night, or starting and playing 35 minutes the next, he has been up for the task.
And when teams fill out the end of their bench, that’s what they’re looking for. When Pickett was brought to the team, the thought wasn’t that he would replace Jamal Murray or become some superstar; the idea is that when called upon, he’ll be ready.
This season, he has been called upon frequently, and he has answered the bell. He has proven to the coaches, his teammates, and the front office that he can give the team juice off the bench, and if the situation comes up where he’s needed in a big game, he’ll be up for it.
It’s something Zach Lowe and Mo Dakhil broke down in a recent episode of the Zach Lowe Podcast, explaining what a valuable data point Pickett has given to his coaching staff when they’ve had to throw him out there, and he has performed so well.
Pickett proving Nuggets don't need to add a point guard
If this Nuggets roster had a hole coming into the season, it was the backup point guard position. Russell Westbrook occupied the role last year, but the team went in a very different direction in the offseason, leaving nobody other than Pickett with a natural claim to the job.
Pickett hasn’t been a conventional, full-time, one-for-one backup to Murray; they’ve leaned into guys like Bruce Brown and point guard by committee with multiple capalbee bigs and wings who can handle and playmake.
Still, it’s good to know that in a pinch, there’s a viable point guard on the bench. Pickett has shown he can score, create his own shot, and hit threes, and it has been a major boon for the offense. Michael Malone was extremely hesitant to trust young players like Pickett in past seasons, but David Adelman is giving them chances, and they are constantly rewarding his trust.
It’s hard to say Calvin Booth has been completely vindicated this season, but he has certainly come out looking a lot better than Malone thus far.