Denver Stiffs - Denver Nuggets 2020-21 end-of-season player grades

Player Grades: Zeke Nnaji had a promising rookie season

2021-07-07T07:00:00-06:00

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Nnaji showed flashes of brilliance during his first year in Denver

Many were surprised when the Denver Nuggets selected Zeke Nnaji with the 22nd pick in the 2020 draft. The Nuggets already had a fairly deep backcourt and with talented guards like RJ Hampton still on the board that could fill a positional need, another big man prospect seemed perplexing.

Turns out Tim Connelly knows what he’s doing.

While not a sexy draft pick by any means, Nnaji has shown flashes of potential in a role that would benefit Denver greatly. He has a high motor and high IQ, held more than his own on defense, is a gym rat and a high-character guy. He only played in 42 games, but his minutes were more than enough to see that the potential is there for him to carve out a solid role in the rotation for years to come.

Zeke Nnaji 2020-21 per game stats

Games	Minutes	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Turnovers	2-point %	3-point %
42	9.5	3.2	1.5/td>	0.2	0.2	57.8	40.5

What Happened

Nnaji wasn’t really expected to garner much playing time, if any. He showed up in garbage time to start the year, but then had a breakout game against Cleveland on February 12 (see below). That began a nice stretch of the season wherein Nnaji was a consistent part of the rotation, topping double-digit minutes 15 times and scoring a career high 16 points in a win against the Lakers.

Nnaji was rumored to be a possible trade chip in the trade that ultimately happened for Aaron Gordon, but of course RJ Hampton was dealt instead. Unfortunately for Zeke, with the addition of Gordon his role was relegated back to garbage time minutes. That doesn’t mean they weren’t productive, though.

Best Moment — Poster dunk against Cavaliers

In an early season blowout at home against Cleveland, Nnaji made a really strong case for more playing time thanks to a career night. Though the entire second half was garbage time, Zeke came in and nailed four three-pointers, showing off his sweet shooting stroke. The pièce de résistance, however, was his breakaway poster dunk, as seen below. It was tough! And then to cap it off he earned a technical foul for taunting. I sincerely hope there’s a lot more of that in the future.

Player Grade — A-

It can be difficult to grade a player when his playing time is jostled around as much as Nnaji’s. Still, it’s safe to say that Nnaji surprised a lot of people with his play. A lot of the early draft grades on him were that he wasn’t ready to contribute to an NBA offense and that defensively he can’t hold his own.

Well, both of those turned out to be false. Shooting 40% from three is no joke, and Nnaji might have one of the prettiest strokes on the roster. For a team that includes Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray, that is saying something. Defensively, Zeke proved that he can guard NBA players and at a high level. His perimeter defense in particular was a pleasant surprise.

To be clear, Nnaji is still very much a prospect but his raw skills were much better than advertised. If he continues to improve he could be an impact player for Denver as early as next season.

Offseason Outlook

During his end of year interview, Tim Connelly mentioned that he took a long walk around Denver’s LoHi neighborhood with Nnaji to talk about his next steps as a player. “I think Zeke’s ability to guard and make shots is really unique for a 20-year-old big. Even though he’s 6-foot-10, he’s going to be a heck of a three-and-D guy,” Connelly said. Later, when talking about both Zeke and PJ Dozier, he continued, “Their versatility and length gives us a different look. It allows us to do a lot of things on both ends of the court. I think both guys will be really important and impactful next season.”

It certainly seems that Nnaji is set to find more playing time next season instead of being buried in the depth chart, though that will also depend on player option players like JaMychal Green. Still, Nnaji has a 3&D skillset that the Nuggets desperately need. Any progress made in his rookie offseason will be beneficial. Mike Singer reported that Nnaji was in consideration to play for Nigeria in the Olympics but that he opted to focus on individual development instead.

No matter what his role is in 2021-22, Nnaji will be ready.

Player Grades: Will Barton takes a step back in 2020-21

2021-07-06T09:00:00-06:00

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to the start of this season, there were strong rumors that Will Barton wouldn’t even be suiting up for the Denver Nuggets in 2020-21. With the emergence of Michael Porter Jr., the possibility of Barton moving into a role off of the bench was becoming greater and greater, and he felt he had done more than enough to maintain his starting spot. Less than a year later, Barton is once again in a position of flux.

Barton has a player option for this offseason, and he was hoping to put together a solid year of production that would allow him to safely opt out to sign one last big contract. Instead, he regressed in a few areas, and one of the main reasons for that regression was his health. Barton played in only 56-of-72 games this season, and that includes the 45-second jaunt he ook in the loss to the Golden State Warriors when he sustained the injury that would keep him out for the majority of the playoffs.

Barton saw a dip in his production across the board along with his shooting percentage dropping from 45.0 percent last season to 42.6 percent this year. After shipping out multiple guards this year during the Aaron Gordon, Barton is pretty much locked into a starting spot, but, once Jamal Murray returns, is he going to be happy with being the fourth or fifth option? He didn’t seem to be that way this season.

Season Overview

Barton was hoping to use this season as a springboard into free agency. Unfortunately, he’s unlikely to be flying very high after this year. Barton saw his per-game averages drop across the board along with his overall shooting efficiency. His 3-point percentage saw a slight bump from 37.5 to 38.1, but, outside of that, it was a regression year for Barton who needed a big season after coming into the year disgruntled with his role on the team.

Barton was a secondary ball-handler for the starters, and he saw an increased workload with the bench unit as one of their primary ball-handlers when Jokic and Murray were on the sidelines. If he returns next year, we’ll likely see that role be fleshed out even more after some of the struggles the Nuggets’ bench saw this season.

Season Grade: C+

Ultimately, the main reason that Barton’s grade comes in at a C+ rather than being lower were the games where Barton carried the load for Denver when the rest of the roster was struggling. In the team’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets back in January, Barton shouldered the entire offensive load for the end of the third quarter into the fourth quarter, and he ultimately finished the game with 22 points while shooting 6-of-8 from 3-point range.

Barton’s health and regression on both ends of the floor are the main reasons this grade can’t be any higher. Even when he made his return for the playoffs, it was clear that he wasn’t ready for a heavy workload. Barton looked to have turned a corner in 2019-20 with his defense as he nearly registered his first non-negative mark on that end since the 2014-15 season. This year, regression came back in the form of a -1.2 Defensive Box Plus/Minus.

Season Highlight: April 19th Game vs Memphis Grizzlies

Barton’s game of the year was one of the best games in the entire NBA this season. In a double-OT win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Barton poured in 28 points including being nearly perfect from 3-point range with a 5-of-6 outing from the veteran wing player. This game was just a week removed from the Murray injury, and Ja Morant was getting just about every call he could ask for en route to 11 free throws in the game. Barton let Nikola Jokic take over in the overtime, but he more than carried his weight during regulation.

What’s next for Will Barton

What’s next for Barton is a very interesting offseason. He has a player option for $14.6 million available to him this offseason, and it remains to be seen how he’s going to handle that. While he could elect to opt out in hopes of a bigger role or one more big extension, he’s coming off of back-to-back injury-marred seasons. Is he going to find another deal that’s going to pay him that amount of money on the open market?

While he could opt out, it makes just about no sense for him to do so. Murray is likely to be sidelined for the beginning of next season which will make Barton the secondary ball-handler alongside Jokic. He can use that increased role as a way to build some of his value back next year ahead of his free agency. Right now, there are only eight teams projected to have practical cap space that isn’t negative.

Barton is just about locked into one of the two starting guard spots with the current status of the roster. There are other guys that will challenge for minutes, but none of them bring his combination of size, shooting and ball-handling in their arsenal. More than likely, Barton is going to opt into his deal for at least one more year in the Mile High City.

Player Grades: Is Vlatko Čančar the right fit for the Nuggets bench?

2021-07-05T07:00:00-06:00

Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

Continuing the Denver Stiffs player grade series is Vlatko Čančar

When the Denver Nuggets drafted Vlatko Čančar with the 49th pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, it was with the expectation that the Slovenian forward may never see a minute of NBA action. Four years later, after two seasons of playing sparingly in the NBA in 2019-20 and 2020-21, it’s clear that Čančar is an NBA-caliber player who can be helpful in the right situation.

The Nuggets have made playoff runs in each of the last three seasons, and the strongest part of their roster has always been their frontcourt rotation. Led by Nikola Jokić the MVP winner and Paul Millsap the sage veteran, the Nuggets have also featured Michael Porter Jr., Jerami Grant, JaMychal Green, Mason Plumlee, and JaVale McGee at various points during the last two seasons. Michael Malone and the Nuggets also like to go small, playing three guards consistently and often featuring players like Will Barton and P.J. Dozier at small forward.

That has led to very little time for Čančar up to this point. In his brief minutes, he has shown a willingness to do the difficult things while others retain the glory, and that has endeared him to his coaches and teammates as a steady option going forward. He had some brief moments this past season where that side of him shown through, and it’s very possible that Čančar is in line for a more sizable role in the rotation going forward.

Vlatko Čančar 2020-21 per game stats

Games	Minutes	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Turnovers	2-point %	3-point %	True Shooting %
41	6.9	2.1	1.2	0.3	0.3	61.5	27.3	54.7

What Happened

Despite playing in 41 of the 72 Nuggets games, Čančar only amassed 281 minutes throughout the regular season as one of Denver’s deep reserve options at the forward spots. The Nuggets struggled to figure out their rotation for a long time, and it wasn’t until March when the Nuggets decided to fully commit to Vlatko in the final three games before the All-Star break. The Nuggets went 3-0 and Čančar played reasonably well, but it took absences to Paul Millsap and JaMychal Green as well as Michael Porter Jr. playing power forward before the Nuggets went that route. When he was out there, Čančar brought a stable option to the rotation, somebody who would work hard defensively, rebound, move the ball, cut, and hit the occasional jumper. A low-maintenance option who helped contribute positively to the good things around him.

For most of the season, Čančar was a reserve option off the bench who played during garbage time. It was rare for Čančar to have regular rotation minutes, and it wasn’t until the very end of the season again when the Slovenian forward returned to consistent playing time. He filled in minutes at the end of the season for a very banged up Nuggets rotation that was missing several guards. Čančar once again showed what he could do (and what his weaknesses were) in a limited time, but that time disappeared in the playoffs where he played just over 20 total minutes in 10 games.

Best Moment — Scoring his career high in Minnesota

It was rare to see Čančar convert so many outside jumpers as he did against the Minnesota Timberwolves toward the end of the season. For a player like Vlatko who is always hustling, doing the dirty work, setting screens for others and rarely getting the glory himself, watching him hit shots and be the beneficiary of Nikola Jokić passes was awesome. Čančar struggled with his jumper for most of the year, but he certainly had it going against the T-Wolves.

Player Grade — C+

Any Nuggets media member will tell you what kind of relationship Vlatko Čančar and Nikola Jokić have. They connected very early and have been best buddies ever since. Čančar would have likely received a ‘C’ without his connection to Jokić, but one’s impact on the other cannot be overstated. Jokić just won an MVP award, and the biggest reason for it, beyond Jokić’s insane level of talent, is his happiness and comfort level within his current situation on the Nuggets. That isn’t the only reason Vlatko is getting this grade, but it’s a contributing factor.

On the playing side of things, Vlatko wasn’t the most impactful player within his role. His defense wasn’t good enough on a consistent basis, and there’s only so far that “doing the little things” can take him when he’s shooting 27% from three-point range. However, Vlatko gets a pass for bad efficiency due to such irregular minutes. He shot the ball better when he had more consistent playing time. The young Slovenian forward showed enough to earn a C-level grade.

Offseason Outlook

Right now, it appears that Čančar is killing it for the Slovenian national team. Luka Dončić will of course gain most of the highlights and notoriety, but Čančar just doubled up All-Star Domantas Sabonis in points scored (18 to 9) while helping Slovenia win the qualifying tournament over Lithuania. Čančar is averaging nearly 12 points per game as a starter and will hopefully have a full experience as a contributor during the Olympics in Tokyo.

On the NBA side, The Nuggets have some major decisions at forward this offseason: extensions for Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon, a player option for JaMychal Green, whatever the heck to do with Bol Bol, and even whether to make Zeke Nnaji more wing or big going forward. Vlatko fits into that mess somewhere, as he has a team option worth just under $1.8 million for the 2021-22 season that the Nuggets must decide on before the start of free agency (within a couple weeks if I’m not mistaken). $1.8 million isn’t that much, and the expectation should be that the Nuggets bring back Čančar unless something unexpected happens this month.

What Nuggets fans should be interested in is Čančar’s role heading into 2021-22. On top of Green’s player option, Paul Millsap and JaVale McGee are both free agents. Denver’s entire backup frontcourt could be reworked considerably, and both Čančar and Zeke Nnaji are candidates to take a step up in consistent playing time. How the Nuggets replace their veteran free agents will have a significant impact on next season’s rotation, and Čančar could be the beneficiary.

Player Grades: Shaq Harrison made his mark with defense

2021-07-04T08:28:04-06:00

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Evaluating the 2020-21 season of one of the Denver Nuggets best defensive players, Shaq Harrison.

After originally signing Greg Whittington to a two-way contract before the regular season started, the Denver Nuggets changed paths halfway through the season releasing him to sign a more defensive minded player in Shaq Harrison. Whittington battled a knee injury during his time with the Nuggets and signing Harrison gave the Nuggets tremendous upside defensively at a spot they struggled all season long.

Harrison went underrated in 2016 out of Tulsa and made stops with the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, and Utah Jazz before finding a home with the Nuggets. The Suns gave Harrison his first chance in the NBA as he played 23 games with Phoenix back in 2017-18 averaging 16.7 minutes per game. His first real chance to shine came the next season in Chicago as he played 73 games with the Bulls averaging 6.5 points, three rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.

After two fairly successful years with the Bulls, Harrison went on to play 17 games with Utah before finally getting another opportunity for solid minutes with the Nuggets. Even though he did not play in every game, Harrison still found a way to have a positive impact during his time in a Nuggets uniform.

Shaq Harrison 2020-21 per game stats

Harrison appeared in 17 regular season games for the Nuggets averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game. Not only did he contribute in the regular season, but Harrison also played in nine of the Nuggets 10 playoff games averaging 4.5 minutes per game. Even though he did not play a lot, Harrison constantly made a positive impact on the defensive end of the floor.

What Happened

Harrison played sparingly with the Nuggets over the last few months of the season, but contributed more than anyone would have imagined. When the Nuggets inked Harrison to a two-way contract in April it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time as Denver was losing players to injury by the day. With the injuries to Jamal Murray, PJ Dozier, Will Barton, and Monte Morris, it gave Harrison a chance to play and he made his mark with defense.

Not only was Harrison’s defense impactful, but he also found a way to contribute offensively when his number was called. It would never be more than a couple shots a game, but the shots he did put up Harrison would often find a way to make.

Best Moment — Poster dunk in Game 2 of Trail Blazers series

This play really put an exclamation point on the Nuggets first win of the Portland series. It was a big time win for the Nuggets as it gave them some confidence for the remainder of the series and this Harrison dunk set the tone and closed out the Trail Blazers in Game 2.

Player Grade — B

A nice middle of the pack grade for Harrison, who made a solid impact during his time in a Nuggets uniform. When the Nuggets needed a stop in crunch time or at any point in the game they could always call on Harrison and he would often deliver.

Offseason Outlook

Harrison’s two-way deal was for the remainder of the season, so the Nuggets will have to make a decision whether to re-sign him or let him walk in free agency. The nice thing about this offseason is the NBA Summer League is back in August, which could be a nice spot for Harrison to play for the Nuggets and earn another roster spot for next season.

Player Grades: P.J. Dozier flashes some potential for growth

2021-07-03T06:00:00-06:00

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The injury sustained by Jamal Murray during their game against the Golden State Warriors was a brutal one, but the pair of injuries that P.J. Dozier dealt with this year were huge blows to both the team as well as the player. Dozier was in the midst of his first season as a true rotation-level player for the Denver Nuggets, and, while he still had a lot of work to do on the offensive end. He was showing that he was more than capable on the defensive end of the floor.

Dozier was an interesting watch this season. Heading into his fourth NBA season and second with the Nuggets, he was put on notice last year when the Nuggets traded up to go get R.J. Hampton, who played a very similar role to Dozier while being significantly younger, as Dozier will turn 25 later this year and Hampton won’t turn 21 until February of next year. He answered the bell by becoming a reliable rotation player this season.

His defense was where he was doing his best work, but he did show some flashes of potential on the offensive end with his ability to get to the basket and some hot shooting months mixed in. It wasn’t anything sustainable based on his end-of-the-year numbers

Season Overview

Among players to play in at least 10 games and average 20 or more minutes per game, Dozier was 4th in the NBA in defensive rating with a 102.5, and one of the three players ahead of him was Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, who was crowned Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in his career. With Dozier on the floor, Denver gave up 105.553 per 100 possessions, and that number dropped to 116.029 with him on the bench. Looking at the two playoff series that Denver played, Dozier’s defense would have been a welcomed sight against Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Chris Paul.

The big focus for Dozier this offseason, aside from getting healthy, will be on the offensive end of the floor. He had a -2.2 Offensive Box Plus/Minus which was one of the worst marks on the team and the worst among players with at least 1000 minutes. Dozier is a good ball-handler for the second unit, but he needs to work on his shooting. At the rim, he shot 68.2 percent, but he shot just 33.5 percent from the rest of the floor. He doesn’t have to be a knockdown shooter, as he’s going to make his living on the other end of the floor, but he has to be at least respectable somewhere other than the rim.

Season Grade: B+

If Dozier had been better on the offensive end or back from injury for the playoffs, I’m probably making this an A-. Dozier went from a fun player during the 2019-20 season to a legitimate rotation player this year. His defense was a legitimate tool that gave Michael Malone another player to throw at guards or smaller wings that allowed Murray to take on the easier backcourt assignment to preserve himself for the offensive end.

As mentioned, his offense is the main thing holding this grade back. Health, especially soft-tissue injuries, are tough to hold against a player because they can be so fluky. Shooting as poorly as he did from outside of three feet allowed defenses to sag off of him and send extra help to other offensive threats such as Murray or Nikola Jokic that excelled on the interior. It will be important for him to develop a bit more shooting before next season, because otherwise, Malone will be forced to surround Dozier with more shooters to protect driving lanes.

Season Highlight: April 24th Game @ Houston Rockets

In fairness, this game could have been the highlight for a lot of players. Dozier finished the night with a career-high 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He also added seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. The key part of this game is when it happened. It was the night after they had gotten beaten by 21 by the Golden State Warriors and less than two weeks after Murray was lost for the season. With the team in the midst of a rough stretch, this huge game, especially for Dozier, who was starting for the injured Will Barton, gave him a big confidence boost in what should have been his run-up to the playoffs.

What’s next for P.J. Dozier

Murray will likely be sidelined to begin the season while rehabbing his ACL injury, and that will lead to a big chunk of minutes for Dozier. The Nuggets felt good enough about his development to trade R.J. Hampton at the deadline for Aaron Gordon, and it will be key for Dozier to make strides this summer and prove them right for that decision. He’s also heading into the final year of his contract with Denver. If he’s planning on testing the open market next season, he needs to show this year that he is still a growing player on offense.

Dozier will be jostling with a few of the other guys for minutes to start the season. Assuming he returns, Barton will likely be the starting shooting guard, and that leaves open a few possibilities for how Malone will handle the other guard minutes. Monte Morris is the best player between he, Dozier and Facundo Campazzo, but Malone could opt for Dozier as a starter to bring more defense along with a stable force to run the second unit.

Dozier, Barton and Aaron Gordon are the three players currently on the roster that have the most to lose or gain over the next year. Dozier will be looking for his first big deal. Barton will be looking for one last big deal, and Gordon will be looking for his second major deal after a somewhat uninspiring last couple of seasons. Dozier has the easiest path for raising his stock, and it’s up to him whether he can put in the work on the offensive end to get that payday.

Player Grades: Paul Millsap continues to produce

2021-07-02T09:50:10-06:00

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

The veteran forward had a good season as he continues to play his game.

Paul Millsap — still good at basketball.

He’s been a controversial player at times, but this player evaluation is coming from someone that really appreciates Paul Millsap. I’ve been able to enjoy watching him play basketball for a long time now, and there’s just something romantic about watching him continue to help contribute to winning in his own way and style. He’s no spring chicken anymore, but he plays hard, plays his role well, and is as dependable as weekend traffic on I-70.

If this was the last season he spends with the team, it will have been a great ride with a great person and player.

Per Game Stats

Season Overview

Millsap re-upped with the Nuggets after his original three-year contract expired at the end of last season, rejoining the hometown team to make another playoff run. The veteran forward was able to hang on to his spot in the starting lineup, and was a consistent presence for the team up through February, when he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for several games. Millsap would return in March to the starting lineup, where he would remain until the Aaron Gordon trade.

Millsap saw more minutes as a small-ball center following the Gordon deal, playing alongside JaMychal Green in more of a five-out offensive scheme while switching big assignments on defense. The coaching staff rested him through the close of the season, and he was able to be healthy for the Nuggets playoff games. While he didn’t start, he played between 10-15 minutes per game in the postseason, including a 15 point performance in Game Two against Portland that helped Denver pick up a blowout win at home.

Season Grade - C+

Millsap played about as well as you could expect him to. He’s not someone that is going to be going 35 minutes strong every night, including back-to-back’s anymore. He’s an aging power forward who can hit a 3-pointer, block a shot here and there, fight on the glass, and knows how to attack an offense as a defensive anchor. The athleticism is fading, but he still was important for them in winning games. He’s a PB&J guy for the team — you know what you’re getting, it’s good and reliable, and it’ll help get you through the day. Nothing flashy, but not trash. Definitely not a negative for the team.

Season Highlight

Putting James Johnson on a poster! I love seeing PJ Dozier look at him like “Dang I didn’t know you could get spring like that anymore.”

What’s Next for Paul Millsap

Millsap is a free agent again, having signed a one-year contract last offseason to return to the Nuggets. In my opinion, there is no reason to not bring Millsap back on another one-year contract. I think even Millsap would agree that his days of being a starter are over, especially with the Nuggets addition of Aaron Gordon to play alongside Michael Porter Jr. in the Nuggets frontcourt.

Denver has improved a tremendous amount during Millsap’s time with the team. He’s been a part of the culture, and the team is better with him on the roster. As he gradually draws closer to retirement, I can’t think of a better place for him to be than on the Nuggets roster, giving the younger players lessons on the practice court and being a leader in the locker room. As a Denver native, let’s hope that the quiet veteran returns back for another season in blue and gold.

Player Grades: Nikola Jokic and his path to league MVP

2021-07-01T08:00:00-06:00

Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Evaluating the 2020-21 season of the best player in the NBA, Nikola Jokic.

It was a season to remember for Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic as he not only became the first player in franchise history to win the leagues most valuable player award, but he also became the lowest draft pick in league history (41) to win MVP. Jokic received 91 first place votes and won in a landslide — 971 to 586 — over Joel Embiid who finished in second place. Jokic became the first Serbian born player to win MVP and the third player from Europe to win alongside Dirk Nowitzki and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

MVP was not the only award Jokic was honored for throughout the season as he also was named to his third consecutive all-star team. As if that wasn't enough, Jokic was named Western Conference Player of the Month twice and Player of the Week three times.

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Availability was Jokic’s greatest ability this season in a year that saw a ton off injuries happen throughout the NBA. Jokic found a way to play in all 72 regular season games averaging career-highs in points (26.4), rebounds (10.8), and assists (8.3) per game.

Jokic then went on to put up some insane numbers in the postseason averaging 29.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, and an even five assists per game. Not only did he score the ball with ease, but he did it efficiently shooting 50 percent from the field and 37 percent from three.

Nikola Jokic 2020-21 per game stats

A lot of the stats were mentioned above, but just to bring to light how awesome they were we’ll go over them again: Jokic averaged a career-high 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game while playing in all 72 of the Nuggets regular season games. Jokic then went on to play in all 10 of the Nuggets playoff games averaging 29.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, and five assists per game. Jokic shot a career-high 56 percent from the field in the regular season along with shooting an insane 60 percent on 2-point field goals all while averaging a career-high 34.6 minutes per game.

What Happened

Even as the Nuggets struggled to begin the season, Jokic did just the opposite as he looked better than ever over the first month of the NBA season. That pushed Nuggets fans to head to their local sportbooks and place bets on Jokic to win MVP at some pretty favorable odds. It all felt like a pipe dream at the time because it just felt like there was no way a center from the Nuggets could win MVP over some of the other big names that were also gunning for the award.

Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images

Well, the injury bug started to bite a lot of those players like Embiid, Steph Curry, and James Harden, which opened the door wide open for Jokic to cease his opportunity. Jokic did just that as he got even stronger as the season went on, which allowed him to run away with MVP when it was all said and done.

Best Moment — 47 point, double overtime victory against Memphis

This was a tough choice because Jokic had an MVP season, which meant there was roughly a million awesome highlights to choose from. The 50-point game against Sacramento was a close second place, but his 47-point game against the Memphis Grizzlies was a performance unlike any other.

It was an electric game from start to finish that saw the Nuggets pull off a double-overtime victory behind the play of Jokic and Will Barton III. Jokic went for 47 points on an extremely efficient 20-of-31 shooting from the field, 2-of-6 from three with one of those triples coming in the final minute of double-OT to secure the victory for Denver.

Jokic also hauled in 15 rebounds and dished out eight assists as he fell just shy of another triple-double. The craziest thing about that game was just how back and fourth it was as Ja Morant did everything he could to help the Grizzlies secure a win with 36 points.

It was all for not though as Jokic led the Nuggets to yet another improbable win, which became a theme throughout the year. When the Nuggets need a bucket in the clutch, Jokic was there to answer the call and this game was a prime example of that.

Player Grade — A+

It’s impossible to not give Jokic a perfect score after the season he put together. Not only was he the best player in the NBA consistently throughout the season, but it was easily the best season any player has put together in Nuggets franchise history. As injuries continued to mount up for the Nuggets one thing remained the same and it’s that you could count on #15 being in the lineup each and every night.

When the Nuggets were on the outside looking in on the playoffs after the first couple months of the season, Jokic was there to push them back up the top of the standings. Then, even with injuries still at an all-time high for the Nuggets, Jokic led Denver to a first round series win over a pretty solid — at least offensively — Portland Trail Blazers squad.

The season did not end how any of us wanted it too with the Nuggets being swept by Phoenix and Jokic being ejected in Game 4, but that doesn't take away from all the incredible things he did in the games leading up to that. It truly was a season to remember by Jokic and hopefully he can build on it next season because how cool would it be to see him repeat as league MVP.

Offseason Outlook

Jokic declined to play with his home country of Serbia in the Olympics, which is a welcomed sight for Nuggets fans because it means he will finally get the rest he deserves this offseason. With the Nuggets making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals in the bubble it really condensed their offseason, especially for a player like Jokic that played in every single game and averaged a career-high in minutes this season.

Although it’s tough for all the Serbian fans that wanted to see Jokic dominate the Olympics and hopefully lead them to a gold medal, it’s really going to help his chances of putting together another MVP type season next year. This offseason is even a little shorter than normal, so any extra rest Jokic can get is huge going into a year where he’s going to have to carry a ton of the load again with Jamal Murray likely to miss some time to begin the year.

Player Grades: Monte Morris remained steady as ever

2021-06-30T05:00:00-06:00

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Monte Morris signed an extension shortly before the season started on December 9th of last year, and, if it weren’t for a couple of nagging injuries, he was on pace for another outstanding year off of the bench for the Nuggets. He remains the straw that stirs the drink for the second unit for Michael Malone, and, when Jamal Murray misses time, he’s usually the player that gets the call to lead the starting backcourt.

One of the main factors that could be gleaned from this season was just how important extending Morris was for Denver. When Morris was out of the lineup, the team’s second unit consistently looked disjointed and without direction. His ability to penetrate, run the pick-and-roll and set up his teammates is a skill that none of the other reserve guards were able to perform on a consistent basis.

Murray will likely be sidelined for part of the start of the season which would have Morris in the starting lineup, and, when considering the drop-off most teams have when losing their starting point guard, it’s a great piece of the puzzle to have a player that can start for you when asked for just over $9 million per season after joining the team as a two-way player in 2017. Morris struggled some in the playoffs, but he was still Denver’s most consistent guard after Murray.

Season Overview

After playing limited minutes in his first game of the season against the Sacramento Kings, Morris went on a nice little run scoring in double digits in 13 of the next 15 games while shooting 53.7 percent from the field during that stretch of games. The Nuggets struggled with bench issues all season long due to injuries and a constant rotating cast of available bodies, but Morris was as consistent as ever as he had been through his first three seasons in Denver.

Once Denver got to the playoffs, the assumption was that Morris would be in the starting lineup in place of Murray, but, with the litany of injuries to the guards, they couldn’t afford to pull him from the bench unit because there was no other player that was capable of running the unit. His shooting, outside of a couple of off games, gave the second unit at least one consistent form of offense with the other four players around him hoping to hit a shot.

Season Grade: B

You could bump this grade up to a B+, and I wouldn’t fight you that hard over it. Morris improved his field goal and 3-point percentage from last season. He also scored at a higher rate during the regular season before averaging 13.7 points per game in the playoffs, which was fourth on the team if you’re including the three games played by Will Barton.

Morris’ overall shooting percentages looked much worse in the playoffs than they truly were. He shot 2-of-17 from the floor in Games 1 & 2 against the Phoenix Suns. If you remove those two games, he shot 66.7 percent from the field in the playoffs. There are two main reasons his grade is getting dropped for this season. One was his health, as he played only 57 of a possible 82 games between the regular season and the playoffs along with his defense. His Defensive Box Plus/Minus registered a -1.1 which was the worst mark he has registered through his first four seasons. He’s not a defensive specialist, but he has to be better on that end next season.

Season Highlight: Game 5 against Portland Trail Blazers

A double-OT win in a pivotal Game 5 where Morris scores his career-high in points? Yeah, that’s the highlight of his season. Morris scored 28 points in the game with 14 of them coming in the second half, including going 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. He added nine more in the overtime periods, including going 2-of-2 from 3-point range which got the momentum rolling in Denver’s favor after Damian Lillard had tied the game with 3.7 remaining in regulation which sucked the life out of the home crowd.

What’s next for Monte Morris

Heading into next season, Morris is the clear second-best guard on the roster behind Murray currently under contract. Assuming the NBA season starts on October 19th, it’s highly unlikely that Murray will be ready to go just six months removed from his torn ACL. Morris would likely become the starting point guard for Denver which would give Malone the chance to see how he wants to run the second unit without Morris.

With R.J. Hampton gone to the Orlando Magic, the only true young and developing guard that Denver has on the roster is P.J. Dozier, and it would be wise for Morris to work with Dozier before next season to help him develop his game on the offensive end of the floor. Among guards under contract for next season, only Facundo Campazzo is older, and Morris will be expected to take on more of a leadership role heading into this stage of the career.

At the end of the day, Morris’ main focus for this offseason heading into next year is to get his body right and to be ready for the start of next season. This goes for every player on the team’s roster, but Morris missed 25 games this season. The team can’t afford to have him on the shelf for that long with how important he is to run the second unit.