Although many of the good vibes were erased by another hamstring injury for Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets’ performance without almost their entire rotation shouldn’t be lost. On the second night of a back-to-back, the team rolled into Milwaukee on Friday night, and despite losing AG before halftime and entering the game without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray. Cam Johnson, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Jonas Valanciunas, Denver was able to pull off a 102-100 win.
But without the cavalry, the bench was able to step up and carry the mail, and it was Julian Strawther who led the way with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists on 6-13 shooting in just 26 minutes.
It was great to see Julian get going. He was expected to take a leap this year, but has actually fallen back, out of the rotation, and has been plagued by injury issues that have made it tough for him to ever really get going. He got a chance to play in garbage time of a big loss to the Hornets recently and found a bit of a rhythm, and with all the players out on Friday, he got an opportunity to start and took advantage.
Strawther could be used to upgrade by the deadline
With Strawther out of the rotation, he wasn’t doing anyone much good, but with this performance on National TV, it could serve as a reminder to the rest of the league of his abilities. Realistically, with everyone healthy, there’s not much room for Strawther, but on a rebuilding team, there could be a big role for the 23-year-old.
Julian is the kind of player who has shown enough potential and untapped upside to possibly appeal to other teams around the league. He could be seen as a positive asset, and if he were attached to Zeke Nnaji, that would give the Nuggets more than $10 million in matching salary to play with on the trade market.
That would still require a team willing to take on Nnaji’s deal, but Strawther could certainly soften that blow and offer some upside. It’s hard to envision a path to consistent minutes for Julian in Denver anytime soon, so they might as well try to get something for him while they still can.
This deadline will likely be their last chance, and it could be the perfect time to try and go out and find one more veteran role player to add to the rotation. Maybe that’s a pipe dream based on a couple of good showings, but it only takes one team to have some belief, and the Nuggets could be in a business.