If you had trouble keeping up with all the moving parts of the four-team trade the Denver Nuggets were involved with on Tuesday, you weren’t alone. The end result for Denver was a 2020 first-round pick from the Houston Rockets and three players from the Minnesota Timberwolves in Shabazz Napier, Noah Vonleh and Keita Bates-Diop.
For now we will turn the focus to Vonleh, who provides more depth in the frontcourt for Denver.
Background on Vonleh
Following one season at Indiana, Vonleh declared for the 2014 draft and was selected ninth overall by the Charlotte Hornets. At 6’10” with overwhelming athleticism, there was plenty of hype surrounding Vonleh as he entered the league.
However, he was quickly traded from Charlotte to Portland following his rookie season and has since bounced around, playing for five different teams the past five years. And yet, Vonleh is still only 24 years old as a result of entering the league at 19, thereby slotting him on the same age timeline of many other Nuggets.
Limited offensive game that relies on rebounding
This season Vonleh shot 70.5 percent from within three feet of the rim, where 51.2 percent of his shot attempts have come from. Although he hasn’t always had that kind of success around the basket, If Vonleh can stabilize as an above-average finisher inside the paint, it will go a long way in helping him contribute offensively.
Another interesting aspect of Vonleh’s offensive game was the one-year stint he had with the New York Knicks in 2018-19 in which he started developing his 3-point shot. In that season, Vonleh attempted two 3-pointers per game and shot 33.6 percent, just enough to make defenses honest when guarding him on the perimeter.
However, following that 2018-19 campaign that saw the 24-year-old attempt 137 threes, Vonleh has attempted just 14 3-pointers across the 29 games he has played in this season. If Vonleh can continue to work on spacing the floor, it will provide more driving room for Denver’s guards and make him a more difficult cover on the offensive end. It should also be noted that New York’s offense was 3.9 points per 100 possessions better with Vonleh on the court that year.
The area in which Vonleh thrives in offensively is on the boards, which is music to Denver’s ears. Vonleh’s teams have consistently rebounded better on the offensive glass when he has been on the court throughout his career, while his offensive rebound percentage has been good-to-great throughout his six-year career. In fact, Vonleh has averaged three offensive rebounds per-36 minutes throughout his career, highlighting his ability to have an impact when given playing time.
Of course, the Nuggets are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league, so having another physical big man to provide more help in that regard will only help Denver’s offense.
Rebounding highlights Vonleh’s defense
Vonleh’s defensive game is similar to how he performs on offense in that he doesn’t truly thrive at one aspect of defense besides being a strong positive on the boards. Despite his size, Vonleh has been a below-average shot blocker throughout his career, as he has never ranked above the 52nd percentile in block percentage.
However, Vonleh does an adept job in other areas defensively, most notably on the glass and by refraining from fouls. The former Hoosier has always had a positive impact on his team’s defense in each of his six years in the league and opponent free-throw rates have consistently declined when he has been on the floor.
When specifically looking at Vonleh’s defensive impact for the Timberwolves this season, the numbers jump out as perhaps the best on that side of the ball of his career. Vonleh grades out as a positive (+0.9) defender according to box plus-minus, while Minnesota’s defense was 5.4 points per 100 possessions better with the 6’10” big man on the floor.
Although Vonleh is not regarded for his defense, he can still have a positive effect through his defensive rebounding. The 24-year-old’s defensive rebound percent has ranked in the 79th percentile or higher in each of the past four seasons. The numbers paint the picture of a big man who provides defensive contributions in other ways besides shot blocking and rim protection, something the Nuggets are very familiar with.
With Denver dealing with countless injuries in the frontcourt (most importantly to Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee), Vonleh could be tasked with picking up some second-unit minutes at center to spell Nikola Jokić and Jerami Grant. Perhaps playing on the most talented team of his career will help unlock Vonleh as a supporting cast member in Denver.