The Nuggets were dominated on Sunday night, getting completely outworked from the start, and ended their four-game winning streak with a 110-87 loss to the Hornets at Ball Arena. This one felt like a scheduled loss as Denver was on the second night of a back-to-back, their second one of the week.
Injuries and fatigue finally took their toll as the Nuggets were without both centers, Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas, plus missing Aaron Gordon. They didn’t have the effort or energy; they got smoked on the glass and couldn’t make shots. Down 34 early in the third quarter, David Adelmna saw which way this game was trending and pulled his vets and starters early in the second half.
It was a disaster of a game, and a showing and result that was probably a bit overdue with how much everyone on the team has been playing over their heads lately.
But there was one significant silver lining as this game afforded an opportunity for Adelman to dust off Julian Strawther for some extended run in garbage time. Strawther, who has been brutally slumping and fallen completely out of the rotation, in part thanks to some injuries, quickly got hot and put up 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists on 5-7 shooting, hitting 2-3 three-point attempts, all after the game had been decided.
Julian Strawther could add great scoring punch for Nuggets
With all of the great performances the Nuggets have gotten from their bench this season, Strawther has kind of been the forgotten man. He showed strong flashes in his first few years, but struggled to stay on the court. He was expected to take a leap and become a real part of the rotation.
But as the season went on, he lost his grip on that spot, then injuries kept him out of the lineup, and lately he’s been buried at the end of the bench. It’s tough to crack the wing rotation when guys like Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Spencer Jones, and others are playing so well, but it’s sad to see how far Juilan has fallen.
Hopefully, as is the case with many scorers, Strawther just needs to get back into a rhythm, and hopefully Sunday was the start of that. He played in 65 games last season, over 20 minutes a night, and was a legitimate scoring threat off the bench. His trajectory in the league looked great, but that hasn’t continued in his third season.
Strawther could become appealing trade candidate
The Nuggets are going to have to make some moves in the near future as they need to clear some money to add Spencer Jones to the roster. They’d also like to start lining things up to pay Watson after the season. Strawther can play a big part in that puzzle, either as a guy who can fill in and take minutes in Denver, or as someone whom they can trade.
But for either of those possibilities to become a reality, Strawther has to play with confidence and show that he still has game when he gets his chances. Nights like Sunday help, and will go a long way. Rebuilding teams may be watching, and they could convince themselves that Julian would look good with a change of scenery.
Maybe that’s ambitious, but maybe not. We’ll never find out if he doesn’t get a chance to play. So, while Sunday night’s game was a tough watch, there was at least one bright spot to come out of the otherwise complete dud.