The Nuggets have addressed almost every major hole on their roster during what has been an extremely impressive offseason for the new front office, but the team still lacks a reliable backup point guard.
As of right now, Jalen Pickett is the only point guard on the roster behind Jamal Murray, and Pickett’s spot in the rotation is tenuous at best. He had some nice moments last season and plenty of ups and downs, but Denver needs someone they can count on for steady bench minutes every night.
Unique situation given how much Jokic runs the offense
The Nuggets may not need true ball-handling point guards as much as other teams thanks to Nikola Jokic. Jokic essentially plays a point center role and is more than capable of running the offense. He can be a de facto point guard when Murray is off the floor, but still, it’s nice to have a steady hand in the backcourt at all times.
Pickett will play some, but it’s unclear just how much of a role he can have. New additions Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and even Jonas Valanciunas will all get to run some possessions and will have the ball in their hands plenty, but none of them are true floor generals.
Once they get to the playoffs and everyone’s minutes ramp up, the Nuggets may be completely fine as they stand now. But over the long 82-game regular season, it really would behoove them to have at least one more player on the roster who can handle lead guard duties on offense for a few minutes here and there.
A lot riding on Jamal Murray’s shoulders
Furthermore, not having another point guard on the roster is putting way too much on Murray’s shoulders. Jamal has struggled with injuries for years and isn’t exactly the most durable guy in the league. Over the past six seasons, Murray has played in 59, 48, 0, 65, 59, and 67 games.
Even on the high end, that leaves 15 regular-season games where the Nuggets would be without their starting point guard. Last season, it wasn’t as much of an issue as the Nuggets had Russell Westbrook to come in and eat innings. It didn’t always look pretty, but it was necessary and it got the job done.
Russ was a very important part of the team last season, and he helped them navigate a long regular season. While it’s fair to say the team improved by swapping out Russ in favor of multiple, less ball-dominant players, they still need to replace some of his ball-handling.
There’s still time, but the offseason is flying by, and the free agency market is drying up fast. Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace don’t need to bring in a star, but one more reliable vet who can play point guard would bring the entire rotation together in Denver.