A Third Ball-Handler Would Test How Denver Actually Shares It
Denver's reported interest in guard Ryan Nembhard raises a real question: does an offense built around Jokic as its primary passer need another ball-handler at all.
RealGM reported Tuesday that the Nuggets are attracting interest in signing Ryan Nembhard, months after camp settled with Tyus Jones and KJ Simpson already behind Jamal Murray. The timing lands right as Denver's most effective lineups last season ran almost entirely through Jokic instead of a second ball-handler.
The Nembhard Report
RealGM reported September 30 that Ryan Nembhard is attracting interest from Denver. Nothing is signed. The Nuggets already carry Tyus Jones and KJ Simpson at backup guard, and camp saw a string of two-way names arrive and leave within days in late September before the roster settled. Another guard would have to earn minutes in a backcourt that isn't short on bodies.
Where the Minutes Actually Went
Last season's most effective five-man group was Jokic, Murray, Cameron Johnson, Spencer Jones and Watson: 13 games, 171 minutes, a +20.1 mark scoring 136.7 per hundred possessions. Jokic was the only true passer on the floor, and it was still Denver's cleanest offense of the season. That is the standard any backcourt addition gets measured against — not shot creation, but whether it changes how the ball moves.
Whitmore's Camp Is the More Concrete Story
Mile High Sports reported September 30 that Cam Whitmore is turning heads early in camp, a more tangible development than any free-agent interest. Whitmore joined Denver on a two-way deal September 18, in the trade that sent Bruce Brown to the Knicks. Camp buzz is not a role yet, but it's the clearest early sign of where Adelman's rotation might bend.
What's Next
Trevon Brazile is still working back from an undisclosed issue, with a return date pegged to October 1. Denver opens its preseason October 4 against the Jazz, plays them again October 6, then Chicago on October 11 and the Clippers on October 14, before the regular season opens October 22 at Oklahoma City. Whether Nembhard factors into any of it is still open.
Have the Nuggets signed Ryan Nembhard?
No. RealGM reported on September 30 that Denver is attracting interest in signing him, not that a deal is complete.
When do the Nuggets play their first preseason game?
October 4 at home against the Jazz, the first of four preseason games before the October 22 regular-season opener at Oklahoma City.
