Denver Nuggets · 9 notes
Spencer Jones has done no contact work and must get through 1-on-1, 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 before he's cleared, Nuggets coach David Adelman said: "It looks like he's heading that way." Marvin Bagley III's absence means Denver has seen him with DeMar DeRozan only in scrimmages.
Matisse Thybulle gets a roaming role on defense, Lakers coach JJ Redick said, but within limits: "You got to allow him freedom to be a little bit of a roamer on defense... Not gambling." He cited one play where Thybulle gambled on DeMar DeRozan and it hurt the Lakers.
DeMar DeRozan gets the ball for the Nuggets' second unit in dead-ball, tight spots; when play is flowing, it runs through Tyus Jones' pick-and-roll, David Adelman said at practice. DeRozan doesn't want to isolate every possession. The rotation is still unsettled at 9 or 10 men.
Marvin Bagley III missed Denver's game with discomfort from practice. David Adelman hopes he plays Oct. 12 against the Clippers, and "definitely" against the Lakers. He'll also rest DeMar DeRozan at some point to protect him before the opener against Oklahoma City; no game named.
Julian Strawther has heard all summer he must match Tim Hardaway Jr.'s bench scoring for Denver: "You need a guy that's a little bit unconscious, a little bit crazy in the head to go out there and launch 3s." He sees himself and DeMar DeRozan as bench scoring focal points.
DeMar DeRozan will be Denver's first man off the bench, coach David Adelman said postgame, but how to split his minutes is still open: "I got to find out what DeMar's comfortability is with that." Who sits when DeRozan enters will vary through the preseason.
Nuggets 1/3 Nuggets coach David Adelman wouldn't commit to Spencer Jones playing Oct. 3 after a tweak kept him out of a scrimmage: a small thing that could become a big one. Aaron Gordon: "My ankle's in a good spot." Adelman will watch DeMar DeRozan, "an older guy."
Nuggets 3/3 David Adelman expects DeMar DeRozan to play with Denver's starters, using preseason to decide by feel who sits. New transition defense: "Their first instinct is to either crash or get back, and we need them to linger." Slowing the ball lagged in scrimmage.
Nuggets camp: Jamal Murray says Christian Braun is healthy, "noticeably different" from when he was hurt. David Adelman's bench plan: push the pace with Tyus Jones and Marvin Bagley III, and "if that doesn't work, we slow the hell down and get DeMar DeRozan the ball."