What do you make of the lack of playing time for DaRon Holmes II?
Zach Mikash (@ZachMikash): I’m going to take it as paying your dues. While DaRon has been with the team for over a year, he is technically still a rookie. Denver’s three rookies (Holmes, Spencer Jones & Tamar Bates) have been the last players off the bench (at least of those with a contract for the regular season) in each of their first two games. I’m going to chalk it up as nothing more than that but as we saw against Toronto, DaRon is clearly better than the end of the bench competition so I expect his minutes will continue to tick up as the season goes along.
Gordon Gross (@GMoneyNuggs): I want minutes for him as much as anyone, as someone with original Deuce stock before he was drafted, but it’s a long season. He hasn’t played organized basketball in a year and a half (because no, Summer League does not count) and you need him to get used to playing, get his body right, learn the NBA, and contribute in the minutes he does get. You also need to pace him – he’s not likely to get the 1200 minutes Christian Braun got as a rookie, but you want him to be available in case of need in March as much as November. I don’t have any problem with him being further down the depth chart in the pre-season as coach David Adelman works out his rotations, but I will be disappointed if they sit him the way they did Watson for his first season. Holmes was a three-year college player, and Denver’s backup bigs situation outside of Big Val is not exactly fearsome. I hope he earns his way into those minutes so he can grow as a player during the season.
Nick Hertzog (@NickHertzogINC): It’s probably an issue of priorities. Developing a green, third-string big coming off major surgery seems less important right now than ironing out the bench roles and giving the new vets a chance to build some chemistry with the returning unit. As frustrating as it will be for DaRon fans like me who are eager to see him play after a lost year, the team will likely stay focused on plugging the differential hole the bench has been in the last two seasons rather than using those minutes for young player development–the exception being Pickett since he’s the Nuggets only true backup point guard. Holmes II could get some run, though, if any of the bigs go down during the season. He’s already shown flashes of what he could add as a floor-spacing center with defensive upside.
Are you comfortable with Bruce Brown being the backup point guard?
Zach: ehhhh kind of? Listen, Bruce was fantastic in the backup one role in the playoffs during Denver’s championship run (21 games total) but I think that tends to make us forget that it was getting a little rocky in the regular season post Bones Hyland trade. The Nuggets brought in Reggie Jackson on the buyout market that year just to give themselves some more options at PG. A full season of Bruce at the one is concerning and it takes away from what he is best at: being a swiss army knife that can fill multiple positions.
Gordon: As the backup ball-handler? Sure, I don’t have any problem with him driving the break and creating chaos. As the backup point guard? I’m a little more iffy on that one. I want to see him run some pick-and-roll with Big Val, generate offense out of some set plays. Bruce is a good chaos merchant but he’s rusty as a point guard by his own reckoning – we’ll see how that goes, but I would like some security at that position. Forcing Bruce to run everything takes away some of his cutting defense and chaos ball, and I don’t think that’s optimal for the whole season.
Nick: I love Bruce as a position-less playmaker and disruption agent. I don’t love the idea of forcing him into a static role as the primary backup point guard. He will be willing to do whatever the team needs, I’m sure, and he could be passable in that role, but I doubt the Nuggets brought him back to fill that need, specifically There’s a reason they’re leaving a roster spot open. If Pickett can’t find a flow with Jonas and company–and playing too much PG takes Bruce away from what he does best–bringing in a true veteran PG would be the best option. The Nuggets may even have a few tradable pieces to package together for a midseason addition (see below).
Is Julian Strawther on the outside looking in on the rotation?
Zach: He would appear to be the tenth man in the rotation right now which is always a precarious position to be in if you are yearning for playing time. Nine-man rotations are generally the norm in the NBA and even if you’re going 10 deep that 10th guy is usually getting like 10 minutes max. It appears that for Julian to truly get a hold on a full-time rotation slot he’s going to need to outplay Tim Hardaway Jr. which is certainly within his grasp but as of now the veteran appears to have the leg up.
Gordon: Right now it seems like his position in the rotation is precarious. How much Julian plays depends on Julian. Denver is implementing a different defense and he needs to absorb it and make the right rotations without being a foul merchant. He needs to rebound and make his shots. THJ is a fearless shooter despite not necessarily being a sniper – Julian is going to have to conquer his own uncertainties because life in the NBA is not for the second-guessers. Letting it fly and hustling to the corner shooter are pretty much pre-requisites for the role he needs to have with the bench, and if he can’t do it then they will hand him a towel to wave. That’s the thing about a deep team: no spot is held for someone on a rookie contract to get his feet wet. Dive in, or sit on the side.
Nick: Yeah, Julian will probably be left without a chair when the preseason stops, which makes him a package-able guy along with Zeke and a second, maybe(?), for the team to fill a much bigger need they have at point guard. He’s too inconsistent as a scorer and a clear defensive liability, which leaves Coach Adelman with seemingly no choice but to play the new vets over him, at least until the bench rediscovers its identity and flow. I still see potential for him to grow into a rotation player, but it shouldn’t be a surprise that an inconsistent young player who got a lot of minutes on a historically bad bench was pushed back by offseason moves A THJ or Brown injury could change the calculus, obviously, but as things stand, Julian will probably need a break or a trade to see meaningful rotation minutes.
