With its first preseason tune-up around the corner, the Denver Nuggets are rounding into form. Denver concluded its four-day stay in gorgeous San Diego, California on Friday with a scrimmage. Then, the team headed home that day, rested on Saturday, and returned to action with a Sunday morning practice.
Friday's scrimmage was a full go; 5-on-5, with four 12-minute quarters. All of Denver's starters participated in the scrimmage aside from Michael Porter Jr., who rested with an ankle sprain. However, head coach Michael Malone said Porter Jr.'s injury was nothing serious, and he was seen at the tail-end of Sunday's practice hoisting pull-up jumpers out of multiple dribbles with zero hindrance.
"Swelling has gone down. He feels a lot better. He was getting treatment all day yesterday," said Malone. "So, he's definitely moving in the right direction."
Two players stepped into Porter Jr.'s place during Friday's practice: Justin Holiday and Julian Strawther. Both players are rangy wings who bring excellent shooting acumen to the table.
Holiday reportedly hit 8 of 10 three-pointers during the scrimmage. Malone told the media that Holiday "quietly had a great camp" and did a lot of the things that Jeff Green did for Denver last season.
"He shot the ball really well today. Like, really well... He plays hard," said Christian Braun. "He's a really good dude. Really good locker room guy, similar to what we had last year."
Strawther, meanwhile, displayed the scoring punch he could bring to Denver's bench next season, and numerous coaches and players spoke glowingly about his performance in San Diego's training camp. Drafted 29th overall in this June's draft, Strawther gave the media a taste of his scoring abilities by hitting a tough floater out of the pick-and-roll and deep three-pointer during the second half of Friday's scrimmage.
"I love how Julian runs the floor. Tremendous pace. Moves well without the ball in the halfcourt. He's not just a jump shooter; he can put the ball on the floor. And the thing I'm probably most proud about with Julian is, defensively, he picks things up very quickly. He's in the right place. He's coming over as the low man, contesting shots," said Malone on Sunday. "I thought Julian had a terrific training camp."
Denver's starters—with Strawther and Holiday in the fold—did not miss a beat after dominantly claiming the franchise's first NBA title in June and losing just four total playoff games all the way. Multiple players and coaches commented on just how in sync the starting 5 looked after three fulfilling months apart from one another. (Media was able to watch the second half of Friday's scrimmage, and by then, the starting five was off the floor.)
"It was like riding a bike for them, honestly," explained Peyton Watson on Friday. "I remember even last year, we had some shakier moments. But this year, you could just see the confidence in everybody. You could see that sense of pride and everybody wants to be here, get better, and go back to that."
Of course, the biggest question from Denver's training camp has nothing to do with its main five guys, a starting five that Nuggets President and Governer, Josh Kroenke, called the best in basketball.
The reserves are up in the air at this point, and Malone made it clear numerous times throughout training camp that there are no free handouts in this locker room. The bench players are going to have to earn it. Christian Braun is the only player who could foreseeably be seen as a "lock" to receive consistent playing time after his contributions during Denver's playoff run.
After that, expect healthy competition.
"We have a five-man unit that is on an advanced course for a Ph.D.," said Malone. "But we can't forget about the other guys in the back of the class like me, bring them along slowly, and help them out."
The composition of Denver's bench is unique. Veterans Reggie Jackson, Holiday, and Zeke Nnaji all have a chance to get on the floor. After that, it's a slew of first- and second-year players fighting for spots in the regular rotation.
Among those first-year players are Denver's three 2023 draftees: Strawther, Jalen Pickett, and Hunter Tyson. All three players spent three years, at minimum, in school perfecting their craft. General manager Calvin Booth mentioned on Media Day that it was Denver's goal to select experienced players this go-around and look for immediate contributors.
"They're mature. They know how to play, and that helps when you bring a guy into camp. They pick things up quickly. They kind of know NBA terminology," said Malone on Thursday. "We're not having to go through the basics."
Tyson, a 40 percent three-point shooter in his final season at Clemson University, drew praise from multiple Nuggets players and staffers.
"He can shoot the cover off the ball," said Aaron Gordon.
"He's like Larry Bird, man," said Malone with one of his trademarked one-liners. "The way he's shooting the three-point shot is tremendous, and he plays so hard."
During the scrimmage, Tyson tossed a lob to DeAndre Jordan with excellent accuracy. He told a funny story about that play after Sunday's practice.
"Actually, two days prior," explained Tyson, "very similar play. I bounced it to him, and he ended up getting fouled or something. He was like, 'Man, throw me a lob!' And I was like, 'You are DeAndre Jordan.' So, this time I saw that opportunity, so I was like, at least try."
Braxton Key, a two-way player, also stood out during Friday's practice. He impacted the game in multiple ways, scooping up an offensive rebound for the putback, stripping a steal and slamming home a dunk on the other end, and cutting willingly within the flow of Denver's offense.
"Braxton Key, I'm a big fan of that kid," said Malone on Thursday. "The kid knows how to play. Versatility."
Malone told reporters that Pickett, a rookie point guard with a seasoned approach to leading the offense, tossed out 10 assists to just 1 turnover during training camp. He also gave fellow two-way player, Jay Huff, props for his ability to block shots and shoot the three-ball as a screener-and-popper in Denver's pick-and-roll sets.
Sunday's practice was mostly used to review the film from the live-game scrimmage. One thing stood out in particular to Malone with regard to improvements.
"We showed around 20 clips from scrimmage. Just focused on our transition defense," said Malone. "The clips spoke for themselves, but the guys owned it."
Malone told the media that the film session was successful, and the lessons learned were immediately put into place.
"I think the practices after a day off, after four days in San Diego... always a tougher one," said Malone. "But got through the film, guys owned it, had a really good practice, and cleaned up a lot of things. We had three live drills, and they got after it. I mean, this was a really good practice back at home, in altitude, and a lot of energy."
Now, it's onto Phoenix for Denver's first preseason game of the 2023-24 season on Tuesday. Malone told reporters that he planned to play his starters—aside from Porter Jr. whose status is TBD—for the first half of the exhibition contest.