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Nuggets Reportedly Interested in Recently Waived Bucks Guard
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- Nuggets Reportedly Interested in Recently Waived Bucks Guard
The Denver Nuggets brought back the same starting five as they had last season, returning Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, and Christian Braun.
The bench was revamped after the team lost Tim Hardaway Jr., Peyton Watson, and Jonas Valanciunas with the team bringing in Alpha Diallo, DeMar DeRozan, and Marvin Bagley III.
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At the backup point guard spot, the team retained Tyus Jones, who appeared in just 11 games for the Nuggets during the regular season, averaging 8.4 minutes off the bench. The hope was that he would have a bigger role and others would step up to take some pressure off of Murray as the lead playmaking guard.
It hasn't exactly worked out.
Ahead of the season, Denver was reportedly in talks with the Milwaukee Bucks to acquire Kevin Porter Jr. The Nuggets would've traded Zeke Nnaji's contract along with multiple second round picks to get Porter Jr.
Rather than take on Nnaji's contract, the Bucks decided to waive Porter.
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Now a free agent, Denver and the Sacramento Kings are interested in signing Porter Jr., according to the Stein Line newsletter.
Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
Does Porter Jr. Help?
Tyus Jones has barely played and has been disappointing through three games thus far, averaging 1.3 points, zero rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 9.3 minutes off the bench. He's shooting 25% from the field and has yet to knock down a three.
He doesn't get enough minutes to make a real impact, but he's also not making an impact in his limited minutes.
Denver's bench is shorthanded with injuries to Julian Strawther and Spencer Jones, putting more pressure on DeRozan to carry the creating load for himself and others.
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Porter Jr. is a flawed player, especially on the defensive end, but he's never had issues on offense. He started in 36 of 38 games for the Bucks last season, averaging 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. He's averaging double figure points every season in the league.
He's not a great outside shooter, but he puts pressure on the rim and can set up his teammates.
Denver has gotten off to a 1-2 start, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder, needing overtime to beat the New Orleans Pelicans after trailing by 20+, and losing by 20 to the previously winless Golden State Warriors.
They need any kind of spark they can get right now, and if it's not going to come from inside the building, looking outside isn't the worst option in the world.
