With training camp only days away, the Denver Nuggets still find themselves without much depth at the backup guard position. However, if the rumor holds true and Ryan Nembhard is waived by the Charlotte Hornets after his trade from the Atlanta Hawks, the Nuggets could be "prominent among various teams with two-way deal interest," per NBA insider Marc Stein. Which is good, because Nembhard may already be Nikola Jokic-approved.
Some would say that current backup Tyus Jones isn't equipped to handle the non-Jamal Murray minutes at all. And neither is KJ Simpson, who's third in line on a two-way contract. But the Nuggets can swap out Simpson for Nembhard without a hit to the standard roster or salary cap, leaving Simpson as the odd man out.
But the Nuggets would be in a better spot for depth, and they got a firsthand look at why when Nembhard torched them while with the Dallas Mavericks for a career-high 28 points on a sparkling 12-for-14 from the floor, going 4-for-5 from three. Nembhard also dished 10 assists with no turnovers. Jokic noticed and gave Nembhard praise after the game.
"It seemed like he didn't miss," Jokic said after the December 1st loss. "He was really good. He was getting people involved. He was one of their best players tonight."
Nembhard offers more upside than Simpson
Simpson, the former CU Buff, has now spent two seasons in the league, splitting time between the Charlotte Hornets and the Nuggets. He's played 56 games, 50 of them with the Hornets. But he hasn't shown the shooting upside or playmaking ability that Nembhard has. Simpson has shot just 26.5% from three and 34.5% overall, and averaged just 2.8 assists per game.
Nembhard, on the other hand, played 60 games last year for the Mavs as an undrafted rookie, making 27 starts, and he made all of them count. Nembhard was elevated to a standard contract from a two-way to finish out the season. He averaged just 6.6 points, but he shot 41.5% from the floor and 35.6% from three. A huge upgrade over Simpson. But the 5-foot-11 point guard's playmaking really stood out.
Nembhard averaged 5.3 assists in just 19.5 minutes of floor time and protected the ball fairly well, committing only 1.4 turnovers per game. On a per-36-minute basis, that translates to 9.7 assists and 2.6 turnovers. And it checks out. In the final game of the season, Nembhard set a league high for the year with 23 assists while also scoring 15 points, and he nearly pulled a Jokic. Nembhard was just one rebound shy of a triple-double, finishing the game with nine boards.
Defense between the two small guards is a wash. But Nembhard clearly has the offensive advantage over Simpson, and he would be a much better option for the Nuggets to stash as a capable backup point guard on a two-way contract.
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