Denver Nuggets: Three takeaways from the first two scrimmages

With two scrimmages in the books, the Denver Nuggets currently find themselves at 1-1. Here are three takeaways from their first two matchups.

While scrimmage observations won’t necessarily translate into definitive results for the remainder of the regular season and beyond, it’s still worthwhile to see if we can learn anything from what we’ve seen so far from the Denver Nuggets.

As a preface to any discussion about scrimmages, it’s important to note that players are just now resuming play after a considerable hiatus, teams aren’t playing against their opponents’ best given that not all players are in the bubble and/or cleared to play yet, and roster cohesion isn’t quite maximized at the moment as a consequence.

The second and third points ring especially true for the Nuggets, and it’s no secret that Denver has been severely shorthanded in their last two games. In the first scrimmage, they were missing every guard on the roster save for Troy Daniels, resulting in the towering tall ball lineup that featured Nikola Jokic at point guard and Bol Bol at small forward.

In the second scrimmage, the Nuggets enjoyed the return of Torrey Craig, however, due to a missed mandatory coronavirus test, Paul Millsap was unable to participate, again leaving a hole in the starting lineup. Craig filled in, however, thus maintaining the lineup’s height given that he and Millsap are listed at an identical 6’7″.

Bol stole the show against the Washington Wizards with his 16-point, six-block double-double, and against the New Orleans Pelicans, despite playing just 25 minutes, Jokic was only two assists away from a triple-double, and Mason Plumlee impressed with 18 points, 13 boards, and four dimes. Additionally, Troy Daniels has been a standout, efficiently shooting his way to 50 points in two games.

The Nuggets have one final scrimmage scheduled for Monday against the Orlando Magic, but in the meantime, here are three takeaways from Denver’s first two scrimmages.