It was reported just after noon on Monday morning by Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium that the Denver Nuggets were planning to sign forward James Ennis to a 10-day hardship deal. Ennis is expected to be available for Tuesday night’s game against the LA Clippers, with whom he suited up for two games earlier in the season on a separate 10-day hardship deal.
Ennis has bounced around the NBA a great deal since entering the league back in the 2014-15 season, and the Nuggets will be the 10th-team that he has played for assuming he sees the floor at some point over the team’s next couple of weeks. Ennis has often been a sought after piece to help fill out teams that are striving for championships due to his size on the wing at 6’6” and his 3-and-D capability as a career 36.1 percent 3-point shooter.
Ennis was added by the Nuggets following Will Barton being placed in the health and safety protocols, which was also announced by Charania just a few minutes after the Ennis signing. Due to the injuries the Nuggets have dealt with, Ennis is almost guaranteed to see the floor over the next few games, and he should be a perfect fit alongside Nikola Jokic, as long as he’s able to knock down open looks when they come his way.
Denver dealt with a rash of covid-positive players in the last few weeks, but they had seemingly turned the corner prior to the last couple of days. It remains to be seen if Barton is just the first of many or a one off, but Ennis could be lumped right in with others following behind him depending on how this outbreak goes.
