With the “official” start of the NBA’s free agency period just hours away, it’s time to break down five different free agents who may be on the Denver Nuggets’ radar. With the Nuggets having young talent at virtually every position on the floor they will most likely look to free agency to add more veteran leadership.
The biggest gap in the Nuggets roster is the lack of a floor spacing power forward who can guard quicker defenders on the perimeter. Denver could also use another wing in case of the injury bug strikes Danilo Gallinari or Wilson Chandler again, as well as another guy who could protect the rim. While this year’s free agent class is not starter heavy, it is deep with lots of different players who fit the bill.
Before we begin I want to emphasize that anything can happen when it comes to NBA free agency. It is the single most unpredictable NBA event each and ever year, so while these players fit the current needs of the Denver Nuggets, it does not mean they will be in blue and gold come the start of the 2016/17 NBA season.
PF Marvin Williams, Unrestricted Free Agent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-my5QRJMQSg
Age: 30 years old
Size: 6’9, 237 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 11.7 points; 6.4 rebounds; 1.4 assists per game
Percentages: 45.3% from the field; 40.2% from three-point; 83.3% from the free throw line
When it comes to adding in the prototypical stretch-four, there is no better addition than Marvin Williams. This past season Williams had career highs in three-point percentage, 40.2 percent, and three-point shots per game, with 4.7 attempts. The increase in three-point shooting also benefited his game going towards the basket. Williams now attacks closeouts with reckless abandon. He also improved his mid-range game with the addition of a floater.
While the offensive versatility is exactly what the Nuggets need from the power forward position, it is William’s ability to defend down in the low block and out beyond the three-point line that makes the fit seem so simple.
Kenneth Faried‘s largest deficiencies are direct reflections of what causes the Nuggets to struggle so much. Faried not being able to defend from the weak side or on the perimeter makes him public enemy No. 1 to opposing teams, which leads to him getting targeted in the pick and roll to create mismatches. His complete inability to develop a consistent jump shot has crushed the spacing of the Nuggets offense in the half court. Bringing in a playmaking, perimeter-proficient power forward would do wonders cleaning up some of the Nuggets’ largest issues.
Marvin Williams is an unrestricted free agent and will have many suitors looking to add his talents to their rosters. Whether or not the Nuggets would like to take a chance on the floor-spreading veteran power forward is still uncertain, but he will be a guy the Nuggets could make a play for. Whether or not his price becomes too astronomical for the Nuggets own personal preferences will likely be what persuades or dissuades the Nuggets from attempting to sign Marvin Williams.
PF Andrew Nicholson, Unrestricted Free Agent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM92m2EifKM
Age: 26 years old
Size: 6’9, 250 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 6.9 points; 3.6 rebounds; 0.4 assists per game
Percentages: 47.1% from the field; 36% from three-point; 78.5% from the free throw line
Andrew Nicholson is as underrated of a free agent as this class contains. Plagued by a coach who never gave him consistent minutes and by a team that was log-jammed at the power forward spot, he never got a chance to fully develop and gain traction at the NBA level. Coming out of St. Bonaventure a few years back, he was a sweet-shooting stretch-four who moved incredibly well and had a strong frame. All of this still holds true.
Nicholson would bring much-needed spacing to a Denver Nuggets roster starved of outside shooting. He has as versatile of an offensive game as can be. His floater in the paint looks relaxed and effortless. His three-point shot is silky smooth. He is quick in transition and plays with a high basketball IQ. Nicholson even has a post game that has been refined over the years playing for the Canadian national team. And yes, he has played quite a bit with Jamal Murray on the Canadian national team.
When it comes to a value singing there could not be much of a better option. Nicholson provides all of the offensive advantages that teams look for in a power forward, and he carries with him the calm tenacity to play fundamentally sound defense as well. Look for the Nuggets to be interested in Nicholson if Junacho Hernangomez ends up staying overseas.
PF Ryan Anderson, Unrestricted Free Agent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iryXKXwLrX0
Age: 28 years old
Size: 6’10, 240 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 17 points; 6.0 rebounds; 1.1 assists per game
Percentages: 42.7% from the field; 36.6% from three-point; 67.3% from the free throw line
Ryan Anderson is one of the bigger names in this free agent class. His outside jumper is how he has made a career and will be what continues to make him money. As he has gotten older, his rebounding numbers have dwindled, and he does not take smaller players into the post nearly as often. His ability to destroy teams from beyond the arc is known around the league, and he demands attention on the perimeter.
Anderson does have some substantial short comings, though. He is borderline awful defensively. Anderson has not had a better defensive rating than 110 since the 2011/12 season. Averaging only four defensive rebounds and two offensive rebounds is far less than ideal, and he has a ratio of 1.4 turnovers to 1.1 assists. Anderson does not provide help side defense and brings nothing in terms of rim protection either. He has never had a season where he averaged more than 0.6 blocks per game.
Having the veteran presence of Anderson and his ability to hit a shot from anywhere beyond the three-point arc is desperately needed by the Nuggets, but to pay somewhere near a max contract for a sweet shooting power forward who does not pass, rebound, block shots or play even average defense is the definition of over-paying for a big-name free agent.
PF Donatas Montiejunas, Restricted Free Agent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Az_RWyw7II
Age: 25 years old
Size: 7 foot, 222 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 6.2 points; 2.9 rebounds; 1.1 assists per game
Percentages: 43.9% from the field; 28.1% from three-point; 64.2 % from the free throw line
For a team looking to sign the versatile power forward, the biggest question is who do you think Donatas Motiejunas is? Is he the player of the 2014-15 season that scored 12 points per game and shot nearly 37 percent from beyond the arc? Or is he the six points per game and 25 percent three-point shooter we’ve seen through the rest of his career? He took a massive step two seasons ago, but with his injury-ridden season of 2015-16, who is Motiejunas really?
If the Nuggets are looking into signing him, they see him as the playmaking power forward who brings more offensive versatility than almost anyone else at the position. Montijunas brings the ability to handle the ball, pass with creativity, shoot from beyond the arc and rebound the ball. That is a potent mixture, and when adding that type of skill-set with Nikola Jokic and Emmanuel Mudiay, you have potential for a supremely efficient offense.
Montiejunas will not help the Nuggets defensively, and he still is a big question when it comes to his long-term health. Being restricted usually means he will be harder to obtain, but with the Houston Rockets gearing up to bring in players with a larger impact, Montiejunas may be had at a decent price. The Nuggets will have to decide which Donatas Montiejunas they will be getting before offering him a contract.
SF Nicolas Batum, Unrestricted Free Agent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a_nM5TW0AI
Age: 27 years old
Size: 6’8, 200 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 14.9 points; 6.1 rebounds; 5.8 assists per game
Percentages: 42.6% from the field; 34.8% from three-point; 84.9% from the free throw line
While the fit may seem odd and the price quite high, hear me out.
Danilo Gallinari is the Denver Nuggets best player. Gallinari is also their most attractive trade chip. If the Nuggets decided to make a large splash this offseason, the trade will almost certainly revolve around the Italian forward. If Tim Connelly pulled the trigger on a larger trade and the Nuggets lost their multi-dimensional small forward, there would be no better replacement then Nicolas Batum.
With ample cap space and the desperate need to bolster the perimeter defense of the Nuggets, Batum checks off quite a few boxes. He can guard three different positions on the floor at any time and is one of the more vocal defenders in the league. Add with endless offensive ability and one of the highest basketball IQs in the league, the fit could not be more perfect.
Batum is one of six players in the NBA to average at least 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists. The other five players? Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, James Harden, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. Batum is ultra efficient and provides more to his team than the box score can portray.
If the Nuggets find themselves in need of a starting caliber wing in free agency, they should look no further than Nicolas Batum to solidify the starting lineup. Offensive and defensive versatility has become a staple of basketball today and Michael Malone would be doing back flips if Tim Connelly somehow managed to get the frenchman into the Mile High City.