What is the purpose of a point guard? For many teams that’s an easy answer, but for the Denver Nuggets the answer to that question is different than most. The preseason games in Abu Dhabi showed one thing very clearly: the Nuggets only have two lead guards on the roster. Jamal Murray looked good for most of his court time, certainly healthier and more active than he looked for Team Canada in the Olympics, and the sigh of relief from fans was audible up and down the Front Range. Russell Westbrook also looked good in his minutes in the first game, pushing the pace and leading the team in assists – while Game 2 laid out in stark relief how the Nuggets do not have depth behind those two. Which of course brings up the question – why are they trying so hard to make it happen?
Jalen Pickett was given the point guard role for much of the game, an unfair measuring stick considering Denver did not play four rotation players: Russ, Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson and Michael Porter Jr. While trying to survive deep bench minutes – and with the Celtics playing some starters into the third quarter while Denver did not – those minutes quickly got away from Pickett. The problem for him, of course, is that he’ll be playing against real rotation players in the regular season too, not the scrubs who also lit up Denver’s bench players without mercy. The Celtics are an incredibly deep team, but that just highlighted that Denver is not.
Trey Alexander, Denver’s two-way signee after he went undrafted this year, has the easiest job in basketball: 4th point guard. In football it’s being the backup quarterback, who will never have to get into a game, and similarly in basketball the odds that you will be called upon to actually run the offense as a fourth lead guard in significant minutes are slim to none. The Nuggets played him almost entirely off-ball in the second preseason game, getting a look at his wing defense against shooting guards and his ability to move without the ball. He’s still better with the ball in his hand, but if an injury takes Russ or Jamal out of the lineup then Denver’s point guard solutions account for 122 combined minutes in the League. That’s not a strong base to work from when trying to patch a hole Denver absolutely knows will need to be patched at some point this year.
Jamal Murray hasn’t played more than 65 games in a regular season since this decade began. Russ will likely cross the 40,000 minutes played mark for his career this year. There will absolutely be games missed this season that have to be accounted for – but the question for Denver has to be, “why should a different point guard fill those minutes?”
Yes, Denver has two point guards who are remarkable at their style of play. Jamal has grown into being a legit point-man in this league – you don’t average a 30-point triple-double in an NBA Finals without being an absolutely fantastic passer and floor general to go with your scoring acumen. Russell Westbrook has been an assist machine for years while also driving to the hoop like he’s looking for revenge. They don’t play the same game; Jamal is more crafty, bending back and forth around screeners and picks until he finds a drive or a step-back he likes, or makes a pass if he doesn’t see what he wants. Russ only knows how to play at full speed, to the point that he will miss layups because he is rocketing past the hoop with the afterburners on, but he makes teams desperate to stop him and then takes advantage of that desperation to make the right pass.
Pickett has not shown any of the plus skills you would want to see displayed on the court if Mal or Russ has to sit on the bench. Alexander has been in the league for about 3 minutes. So why would Denver lean on them? The lead guard position on the Nuggets is technically filled by Nikola Jokic anyway. That’s why he touches the ball more than anyone in the league, why he’s always on the verge of a triple-double, why Denver’s two-man game in the playoffs is as unstoppable as any set the league has seen this generation.
Jokic is the engine that makes Denver go. Jokic without Murray made the playoffs. Murray has never had to play without Jokic. Denver won a playoff series over the Dame-led Portland Trail Blazers with Markus Howard, Facundo Campazzo and Monte Morris as his guards. So why has Denver insisted for years on replacing Jamal Murray with the bench PG when he is injured, and leaving the actual bench in the hands of a less-capable player?
The solution to Denver’s point guard situation this year is going to be to lean into wings more. Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson can each join the starting lineup if needed for either scoring or defense and are actual rotation-capable players. Denver can rotate another starter with the bench to help Jamal or Russ with that unit. If the Nuggets were really brave I would say to pull Jokic early in the first quarter and re-insert him for the whole second with the bench if Russ misses some games, but Denver will never upset the apple cart of expectations to that degree.
But let your one of your pair of experienced and capable point guards help the bench when the other is out instead of forcing a point guard into duty who is not ready to shoulder the load. Nikola Jokic with three other starters can handle his part of things – the bench cannot handle playing without an All-Star level guard. For many teams, the rigors of the point guard position require standard, time-tested solutions. The Nuggets have the best player in the world as their point-center, and it’s about time that Malone stopped trying to use his point guards like a regular team would and instead start saving the bench from the kinds of youthful indiscretions that happen when a floor general is not ready for command.
Jokic is the maestro that choreographs the offense. Aaron Gordon is assist-capable to help either the bench or the starters by taking pressure off the main ball-handler. There are no funds or capability to add more than a minimum contract if Denver cuts a player. The Nuggets will need to patch that reserve point guard role several times this season before any outside options come available, which means they need to accept who they are and fill it with a player who can handle the role – and point guards on the roster not named Russ or Jamal don’t need to apply.
