At one point during March, backup center Jonas Valanciunas saw the bench in favor of a small-ball unit that Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman began to favor as a way to combat the deficiencies the bigger non-Jokic minutes lineup was having. Adelman put Spencer Jones at center for a decent stretch of games, and the Nuggets actually looked a little lively when the small-ball unit came on the court. But that can only work for so long, and it looks like the Nuggets will look different by going bigger and more athletic based on their offseason additions so far.
It's a good thing the Nuggets are taking that route. The top teams in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, just leveled up and got bigger and more athletic via the draft.
The Nuggets' offseason additions point to a bigger, more athletic bench
Mavin Bagley III is a natural 6-foot-10 big man who can play both the four and the five behind Nikola Jokic comfortably. Alpha Diallo, the EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year, stands at 6-foot-7, and he's likely going to be splitting time with his defensive prowess at shooting guard and small forward, replacing the smaller Tim Hardaway Jr., and the smaller yet Bruce Brown.
The Nuggets weren't done. They added 6-foot-10 Trevon Brazile via the 35th pick in the NBA Draft. Brazile showed during his breakout 32-point performance during Las Vegas Summer League that he was drafted for more than just athleticism, and he can stretch the floor with his shooting range. Brazile shot 6-12 from three and was 11-19 from the floor. Combine that with his rim protection and help-side defense, and he should crack the rotation.
Even more, if the Nuggets roll the dice and pay the exorbitant luxury tax penalties by violating the NBA's second apron penalty threshold by re-signing Peyton Watson and failing to trade anyone else to make salary cap space, they'll have Christian Braun likely on the bench. Or P-Wat at the sixth man slot. Either way, Braun at 6-foot-6 and Watson at 6-foot-8 make this a big second unit.
With an exception, of course
The Nuggets don't currently have another point guard on the bench except for the 6-foot-0 Tyus Jones. He'll have great ball control, a priority of the Nuggets this offseason. Jones never turns it over, but he can't create much offense. He's best suited for the Jokic minutes, and Jamal Murray to be on the non-Jokic side.
Instead of dealing with Tyus Jones at all, a 'tall ball' lineup should be considered at some point. The Nuggets should run out Braun, Strawther, Diallo, Brazile, and Bagley. The offense may get a little stagnant, but it's a starkly better lineup defensively than Brown, Hardaway Jr., Murray, Cameron Johnson, and Spencer Jones. And certainly a much taller, more athletic one.
There would be variations, of course. But the big picture shows the Nuggets keeping up with their counterparts by adding size and athleticism to the second unit. It's certainly a new look versus the small-ball rotation.
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