The Nuggets have finally found their answer at backup point guard

The Denver Nuggets have not had a true back up point guard since 2021, when Monte Morris backed up Jamal Murray. When Murray tore his ACL in April of 2021, Morris assumed the starting role, and was eventually shipped to Washington in 2022 in a deal to acquire Kentavious Caldwell Pope. 

While that deal was an instrumental domino in the Nuggets 2023 title, they've also been searching for someone to fill the void left by Morris ever since. 

Bruce Brown was a beloved part of the Nuggets title team, but he only stayed for a season, and isn't a true point guard by nature. 

While Reggie Jackson technically owned the role last year, he was past his prime and far too ball dominant to elevate others. 

This season, Russell Westbrook was signed to fill that role. While he has brought a lot of production to the table, he also makes too many ill-advised turnovers, and his poor shooting can stymie the flow of Denver's offense. 

The Nuggets only have one true backup point guard on the roster, and it's not Westbrook. 

It's Jalen Pickett. 

Many people (myself included) labeled Pickett as an afterthought early this season after an inability to earn consistent minutes from Head Coach Michael Malone. But recently, Pickett has gotten chances to shine due to some injuries on Denver's roster, and he brings a variety of positives to the table.

Shooting

Michael Malone has had a really challenging time finding consistent bench rotations. 

While this has always been an issue in the Jokic era, it's been particularly difficult this year. Denver lacks players who can both shoot and defend at a high level, and more often than not, Malone has to opt for lineups with defensive capability that lack spacing. 

Luckily, Jalen Pickett doesn't fit into that category. Pickett is shooting 39% from three this season, and was a combined 4-8 from deep in Denver's last three road games vs Boston and OKC (twice).

Granted, it's not a super large sample size, but for a team that's not oversaturated with shooters, Pickett has been a dependable option, and doesn't seem fazed by the moment in big spots.

Basketball IQ

While Pickett's ceiling in the NBA is probably limited due to his age and lack of athleticism, he has intangibles that will insure him a spot in the league for years to come.

Pickett has a really high basketball IQ and you can tell he played five years of college basketball. One of the staples of Pickett’s game is that he plays at his own pace and rarely makes the wrong decision. He’s also an excellent passer, and a really stout team defender. Pickett does a lot of little things right that won’t show up in a box-score, like this off-ball screen Pickett made during Denver's first game versus OKC this past weekend,

There was one play in particular that stuck out to me most from Denver's OKC roadtrip, that actually happened in the fourth quarter of Denver's 140-127 statement win.

After a Slip Screen from Zeke Nnaji, Picket took his defender into the post and used a beautiful up and under to get a good angle for a layup. The most impressive part is how he somehow managed to time his finish perfectly to avoid getting stuffed by Chet Holmgren, who was charging over from the weak side. 

Pickett's old school up and under here was beautifully executed, and left Altitude TV Analyst Scott Hastings giggling with delight.

Pickett’s basketball IQ is an amazing trait for any backup point guard to have, and is one of the biggest reasons Coach Michael Malone can trust him on the floor.

Lineup Versatility

As mentioned earlier, Russell Westbrook's shooting is a problem. 

Westbrook also struggles impacting the game without the ball in his hands, which can make potential bench lineups challenging. It’s hard to play Westbrook with other shaky shooters due to the lack of spacing. 

Not only is Pickett not a liability shooting the ball, but he is quickly developing chemistry with Jamal Murray. On Sunday, Malone played a highly productive lineup on Sunday versus OKC that included Pickett, Murray, Watson, Porter, and Nnaji. I have to say, they were some of the most fun non-Jokic minutes I’ve seen in a long time.

While the non-Jokic minutes are usually notorious for blowing leads, this group actually extended the lead from two to 11 points in just over three minutes together to start the fourth quarter. In this span, Pickett scored five points and recorded an assist to Jamal Murray. 

The only player I haven’t liked next to Pickett is Russell Westbrook. In order to maximize Pickett’s impact, Malone has to find bench minutes for him without Westbrook, which may be a challenge once Aaron Gordon and Julian Strawther return from injury.

Moving Forward

While Jalen Pickett isn’t a battle tested playoff performer, he has started to look like the long term backup point guard for a Nuggets team that needs better bench play to win another title in the Jokic era.

With a fully healthy roster, it’s unclear if Pickett’s spot on the depth chart will allow him to get meaningful minutes in this year’s playoffs. Either way, Jalen Pickett should be a major piece for a roster that, moving forward, still has a lot of question marks.

Luckily, Jalen Pickett isn’t one of them.