NBA: 5 Biggest and most telling pre-season takeaways
By Josh Felton
The defending champs new rotation
Over the summer the Denver Nuggets lost Bruce Brown, who was a huge rotation piece for them during their championship run. He left a massive void the team needed to fill, a void many believed they hadn’t.
Enter Julian Strawther and Zeke Nnaji, two of the Nuggets’ most recent draft picks. Nnaji was drafted by the team back in 2020 and recently he signed an extension with the team despite not playing much. His athleticism has been on full display in preseason as well as his defensive awareness and shot-blocking ability.
Julian Strawther was a three-year player at Gonzaga and he joined this Nuggets team as less of a project and more of an immediate contribution player. He already fits perfectly with the Nuggets’ motion offense with his outside shooting, timely cutting, and connective passing.
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The synergy he had with Nikola Jokic in the preseason game against Chicago was magnificent to watch. Strawther finished the preseason averaging 18 points on 50/40/90 shooting. Don’t be surprised if the Denver Nuggets don’t skip a beat this season.