What the Denver Nuggets lost
Mason Plumlee. *sigh*. Yeah, I’m talking about a Plumlee as a contributing factor. Bear with me. Fact is, MP filled an important role for the Nuggets last season. He was a bit of a pseudo-Jokic off the bench, an above average defender who could distribute the ball well for a center. He went to Detroit in the offseason along with another one of the Nuggets’ main contributors (stay tuned). Since his departure, the backup center minutes have been a bit of a mess for Denver.
Paul Milsap is solid as a small-ball center but only for limited stints and not in a massive defensive capacity. Bol Bol is so much fun (word to Thugger) every time he’s on the floor but he has a longgggg way to go before he is a considerable rotation player. The backup center minutes are less important than a starting wing, though.
The third most important player of last year’s playoff run was arguably Jerami Grant. Grant was the only perimeter defender that the Nuggets had (beyond Torrey Craig who was too much of a negative on the offensive end to earn more than 19 minutes per game in the playoffs). Their only hope against the hellish wings of the West like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and LeBron James.
At the same time, he showed a proficiency in creating for himself and shooting well enough when open. But he chose to leave in free agency. He got an offer of ~$20 million a year from the Detroit Pistons and elected to leave despite the Nuggets insisting on matching the offer. Grant wanted an expanded offensive role, and the lure of playing for a Black GM and Coach was equally alluring. I am not sure we can really blame the Nuggets for losing him.
But they did. And it appears they lost an absolute stud. Albeit for a cellar dweller of a team, Grant is putting up 22.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, along with 1.1 blocks per game this season. Despite missing the cut as an Eastern Conference All-Star (his team’s record surely having a factor in that decision), he is considered one of the frontrunners for the Most Improved award.
The Nuggets attempted to rectify both of these losses at the trade deadline a week ago. Let’s look at the acquisitions.