The preseason dust has finally settled, and the Denver Nuggets are starting to prepare for opening night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Head coach David Adelman has stated that he's now open to expanding the rotation, even suggesting that he could go with 11 players. But one thing was clear during the final two games of the preseason: the Nuggets need to keep a staggered second unit. At least for now.
Adelman said prior to the Nuggets' fourth preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers that he wanted to try out an all-bench second unit. It went disastrously, at least for the lineup combination he rolled out. However, in the final preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he went back to a stagger, bringing in Cam Johnson to help stabilize the non-Jokic minutes, and the difference was immediately noticeable.
Staggering Cam Johnson makes sense with DeRozan off the bench
Against the Clippers, DeMar DeRozan was given the night off. But he played 27 minutes against the Lakers, and he assumed his role as the sixth man off the bench in place of Johnson to get rest in the first quarter, and it worked out great. DeRozan is like a sixth starter, and it allows Adelman to move Johnson into the stagger, and the non-Jokic minutes held their own in the second quarter.
Against the Clippers two nights before, the second unit without a stagger gave up a 9-point lead in minutes, and the whole unit had an atrocious plus/minus. But the staggered unit with Cam was only -3 against the Lakers. Cam had 4 points over the five non-Jokic minutes, and his presence gave the Nuggets a stable pillar with his off-ball movement. Plus, Cam's a three-point threat that the second unit really needs to create spacing, which made a difference.
Alpha Diallo's defense is also key to the second unit
Alpha Diallo was missing from the second unit experiment against the Clippers, and the lack of a defensive anchor really showed. However, Diallo was right back in early against the Lakers, and his defense was felt. His pressure on the perimeter and his always-active hands create loose balls and deflections that help to keep the opponent's offense out of step. He's essential to holding the second unit together on defense.
The Nuggets' bench looked fantastic against the Lakers, and they looked great during the preseason as a whole, and the non-Jokic minutes actually look like they can hold their own this year. But they need a stagger with Cam, or even Jamal Murray, to help hold them together, and Adelman should stick with it until the second unit has had more time to gel and stabilize.
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