Denver Nuggets: Evaluating Emmanuel Mudiay So Far

Mudiay As Defender

On the defensive end, Mudiay is taking his rookie licks, as should be expected. He has the second-worst defensive rating of anyone on Denver’s roster, surrendering 108.5 points per 100 possessions.

According to Basketball-Reference, the Nuggets’ defense was surrendering 111.3 points per 100 possessions with Mudiay on the floor entering Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls. With Mudiay on the bench, that number dropped to 101.9, meaning the Nuggets have been almost 10 points better per 100 possessions with him sidelined this season.

Kyle Anderson‘s slow motion crossover that sent Mudiay into another dimension was a pretty good example of the kind of inexperienced blunders that come with the territory of being a rookie.

That being said, Mudiay isn’t completely helpless on that end. He’s taken his body shots, sure, but that’s to be expected of pretty much every rookie in the NBA these days. He’s still averaging a solid 1.1 steals per game, along with 14 total blocks on the season (0.7 per game). Those 14 blocks rank him third among all NBA guards so far this year.

Damian Lillard found that out the hard way when Mudiay racked up not one, but two clutch blocks down the stretch of Denver’s narrow win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 9.

His defense still needs work, but his athleticism, 6’5″ frame and quick foot speed make up the foundation of an agile defender. Once he learns where he fits within the context of a team defense and is fully adjusted to the NBA level, he’ll improve on that end of the floor.

Hell, getting some actual, legitimate defenders around him probably wouldn’t hurt either, with the Nuggets ranking 25th in defensive efficiency as a team.

Next: Mudiay As Scorer