Denver Makes Moves Aiming for Playoff Push
I can't believe there's an image with both Drummond and Young
I can't believe there's an image with both Drummond and Young
During a trade season that had left many wondering what had happened to the CSL and where all the activity was, the Nuggets GM found himself similarly perplexed. After making a few statements that amounted to begging people to send lowball offers for John Wall, Myles sat and stared at his inbox, with not a single message inbound. And yet, just as the rest of the league has found the activity and the trades, so too had the Nuggets, when Orlando came calling for Josh Jackson, and the Clippers inquired about Jarnell Stokes. I'm not going to bore you all with details of the negotiations, but suffice to say that after a good amount of back and forth in both trade talks, the Nuggets found themselves with two trades that massively improved the talent on the roster and their chances at making an impact in the playoffs.
Gone were the Nuggets' top pick from last season, Josh Jackson, as well as some of the hand-picked role players that Denver had chosen to surround the talent on the team with, Jarnell Stokes, Boban Marjanovic, and Tyler Ulis. Jackson had a strong rookie season, finishing 4th in a great ROY class, and showing that he'll be an elite defender with a potentially good offensive game. However, his shot had completely fallen off in his sophomore year, and more than that, he had shown that no matter what, he was going to get his shots up in every single game. That left enough room for doubt in Denver's mind that when Orlando came talking about a deal that mainly surrounded Drummond for Jackson, the Nuggets couldn't pass it up. As for Stokes, Ulis, and Marjanovic, while all three of them provided great play (when they were healthy), none of them were ever going to be more than just a good role player, and were therefore (sadly) expendable.
In came Andre Drummond, James Young, Terrence Ross, and Alex Len. Drummond is the kind of elite two-way big man that the Nuggets have never had under GM Myles, and should immediately improve their defense, one of the weakest parts of their game. While losing Jackson obviously hurts their defense, it's no secret that having a great defensive big man is more important than having a great defensive wing defender. Obviously, there's nothing better than having a whole team of great defenders, but if you could only have one, it should ideally be a big man. Young is probably the Nuggets' 3rd best player now and best wing, depending on how you view Jayson Tatum, but either way, he is an electric scorer who can be a good playmaker, and defend as well. That was key for the Nuggets, as getting Young's defense means that they are somewhat replacing Jackson there, while definitely upgrading on the offensive end. Ross gives the Nuggets more outside shooting and wing depth, and Len is a solid backup big man who can play behind Drummond well enough.
So what does this mean for the Nuggets rotation moving forward? Well, point guard doesn't change much. Wall will still be playing around 34 mpg, and Caruso will be his primary backup. Power forward had already shifted from Stokes to Tyler Stone in terms of who was starting there, but now Kennedy Meeks will be the primary backup at PF, and Tatum will certainly get some minutes there as well. Center obviously shifts the most, with Drummond now set to be the starter and Len the backup, with Meeks as the third-string option.
The wing positions are now the most interesting for the Nuggets, as they completely have the ability to mix and match moving forward depending on their opponent. All four of the Nuggets main wing players (Tatum, Young, Ross, and Treveon Graham) are between 6'6" and 6'8", and 197 and 209 lbs, and therefore are physically capable of playing both the SG and SF positions. Most of them have good handles, and all of them bring something different to the table. Whether the Nuggets want to focus on having defenders on the court (Young and Graham), shooters (any of Tatum, Ross, and Graham), or simply the two most dynamic players (Young and Tatum), they are prepared to do so. Just by virtue of their physical abilities and talents, Young and Tatum can switch back and forth between SG and SF based on matchups, making that an interesting combination for the Nuggets to play with. And if they simply want their best 5 players on the court? Tatum can slide down to PF and the Nuggets can throw Wall/Young/Graham/Tatum/Drummond out there.
Denver's increase in talent and lineup options should help them reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2014-15 season, when they won the championship. Is this finally the year they break the streak?
