Before the preseason started and fans got a chance to see what the back end of the Denver Nuggets bench and rotation would start to look like, most of us, myself included, thought that the depth was going to be thin. Hand up, I was wrong. Sure, it's only two games, preseason at that. But behind the starting five, the Nuggets look good. Deep. And even head coach David Adelman has some good things to say about his bench.
After yesterday's practice, Adelman addressed the media and discussed the revamped second unit and bench. And he gave them a bit of a compliment while comparing the new guys to the Nuggets' bench stalwarts of seasons past.
"I've said this before. We've had more talented rosters here, but sometimes having the same kind of players one through 15 can hurt you in certain situations. So it's cool to have, you know, different kinds of players," Adelman said.
Kind of cool, he says! That works. But Adelman's exactly right. The Nuggets kept going out and trying to plug people like Dario Saric or Jonas Valanciunas in as the "Nikola Jokic" type of backup center. Or they tried Reggie Jackson and Jalen Pickett at backup point guard to be like Jamal Murray. Neither of them worked out.
The new look bench unit is specialized, and that may be a perfect fit
One thing that I and others were wary of was how the "specialized" backups would fit together. So far, so good. The non-Jokic minutes look weatherable so far this season, and my guess is that's because the Nuggets front office actually went to work and found players who would mesh well together.
For all of the criticism Tyus Jones has had about being an insufficient backup point guard, he may actually work out great in this offense for the Nuggets as a floor general. He's not going to have to shoulder any scoring load, and instead his focus can be on distributing the rock. Jones, known as a ball-control specialist, has 9 assists through two games, and his 4.5 assists per game would have easily been third on the team last year.
Adelman likes what he sees so far. "I think it's a lot guys are trying to fit in, and they bring different things. And we haven't had a guy like Tyus in a long time. You know, Monte [Morris] was very much like Tyus," Adelman said.
Marvin Bagley is much different than Valanciunas
Backup center has been a merry-go-round in recent years, but Marvin Bagley III gives the Nuggets a much different look compared to Valanciunas last year. Bagley is mobile, athletic, and he's highly efficient in the paint. He's also excellent at running the pick-and-roll, and we could see some nice, easy dunks from the 6-foot-10 former number two overall pick. Something the Nuggets haven't had at backup center in years.
"You know, Marvin's a lob threat. You know, we haven't had that in a while. Mason Plumlee was. So there's, like, things like that, is cool to have back in the gym," Adelman said.
That's one of the reasons my optimism is so high on the Nuggets, even after two preseason games. They've got a different makeup on the bench this year. Alpha Diallo brings a defensive skill set the Nuggets have lacked. DeMar DeRozan is a scoring threat and playmaker, and Julian Strawther is capable of driving to the rim or hitting a catch-and-shoot three. And the back end of the bench looks strong, too. The Nuggets, dare I say, have a deep bench!
Nuggets fans know what the starting five has. The best basketball player in the world and some other top-tier teammates. If the bench does its job and keeps the game tight, the Nuggets could legitimately challenge the Thunder and Spurs at the top of the Western Conference. No, it's not hyperbole. The bench looks good.
Add us as a preferred source on Google