The Denver Nuggets have had a lack of depth at the backup point guard spot for the entire offseason. Sure, they signed Tyus Jones to address some of their ball-control concerns, but fans have been wondering if the Nuggets would have more moves in store to address the lack of scoring and playmaking behind Jamal Murray. They could have the opportunity to address those concerns if the recently traded Ryan Nembhard clears waivers with the Charlotte Hornets. And the Nuggets should pounce on the chance.
NBA insider Marc Stein reports that Nembhard could have "multiple suitors" for a two-way contract, and that the Nuggets are "prime among them." Nembhard was dealt from the Atlanta Hawks, along with Buddy Hield and cash, to the Hornets for Dorrian Finney-Smith. The prevailing thought is that the Hornets would waive Nembhard, allowing him to be a free agent.
The Nuggets need to bring in Nemhard to replace KJ Simpson
The Nuggets currently have no open two-way spots after the recent signing of Cam Whitmore, who took the team's last open spot. But the Nuggets can simply waive point guard KJ Simpson with no harm to their salary cap issues and put Nembhard in his place. And they should.
Nembhard went undrafted out of Gonzaga and latched on with the Dallas Mavericks on a two-way contract last year, and the rookie played his way to a promotion to a standard contract to finish out the season, much like Spencer Jones did with the Nuggets.
Nembhard had a good season for the Mavericks, averaging 6.6 points and shooting 35.6% from three while proving his college playmaking carried over, dishing out 5.3 assists over 60 games, 27 of them starts. And one of his signature games came against the Nuggets. Nembhard torched the Nuggets for 28 points and 10 assists, with no turnovers. He showed explosive quickness and created space, hitting 12 of 14 shots, including 4-for-5 from three. It was his highest-scoring game of the season.
But what could be even more impressive is that in the final game of the season, Nembhard set an NBA season high with 23 assists against the Chicago Bulls. He's obviously an excellent passer, and his offensive upside is on another level compared to Simpson.
Nembhard isn't a defensive drop-off from what the Nuggets have
The knock on Nembhard is his size, at only 5-foot-11. But Jones is just 6-foot, and Simpson is 6-foot-2. They are all going to struggle a bit defensively against larger guards. Defensively, it's a wash. So it makes sense for the Nuggets to add depth with Nembhard over Simpson, given Nembhard's offensive upside.
Nembhard may not be the perfect answer for depth behind Murray, but he's a better option than the Nuggets currently have on the roster. And they should jump at the chance to snag him.
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