There's a lot of hope for the Nuggets' bench this season. They've got a whole new look from last year. But unfortunately, when one of the combinations in the new look takes the court together, the Nuggets look really bad. And the data backs it up. That's why head coach David Adelman needs to figure out what to do with Tyus Jones and DeMar DeRozan. They can't keep sharing the floor together.
There were moments in the Nuggets' 127-120 win over the Phoenix Suns where you could tell the defense looked much worse, and the Suns were able to capitalize on the mistakes by burying 12 threes in the first half. It wasn't the first time this combo looked rough, and in fact, we have a whole 50 minutes' worth of data to show how rough it is. Yes, small sample, but it backs up the eye test.
In 50 minutes together, the DDR / Jones combo, with any combination of the other three, is net -20.8 points per 100 possessions , per Databallr. The defensive rating isn't great, but 113.1 isn't awful. The problem is, their offense is awful, at 92.3. The defensive numbers would be even worse if they hadn't been playing so many minutes with rookie second-round pick Trevon Brazile, who's been a defensive monster .
Everybody knew coming into the season that DeMar DeRozan was going to be rough on the defensive side of the ball. But he's often out of place in half-court sets and frequently allows open buckets on the perimeter after failing to rotate properly when the other team skips the ball. That's part of the reason the Suns knocked down 18 total threes on the night. His defense has been as advertised.
And the same can be said for Jones, too. He's not a good defender, and the Nuggets' lack of faith in him is apparent, as he's only averaging 10 minutes per game off the bench, while Jamal Murray leads the league in minutes played at 38.2. Murray may have to continue to play a heavy load of minutes until the Nuggets figure out what they should do at backup point guard, because the Nuggets can't keep rolling this duo out together. But at least DeRozan can score and make plays.
Jones has averaged just 2.4 points and 0.6 assists this year, while DeRozan has scored a solid 11.0 points and averaged 3.0 assists while adjusting to his new role off the bench after spending 1,250 games in a row as a starter.
No more Adelman! Try out Ryan Nembhard in Jones' spot, or let DeRozan run the playmaker role when Murray gets his five minutes of rest per half and stick defensive ace Alpha Diallo next to DeRozan when he returns from a wrist injury. Because the new non-Jokic minutes are the non-Murray minutes the Nuggets are having to weather.
This article was originally published on www.nugglove.com as Nuggets have a glaring weak link when Tyus Jones and DeMar DeRozan share the floor .
