Denver Nuggets starting lineup: Locks, fringe, and potential break-ins

Fringe options for the starting lineup

Michael Porter Jr., Paul Millsap, Will Barton

The Denver Nuggets have a major decision to make about their starting lineup. With the starting backcourt and center set, what identity do they want for their forward pairing? Will Barton missed the NBA Bubble with injury complications, and the team tried various combinations of Michael Porter Jr., Torrey Craig, Paul Millsap and Jerami Grant. With Grant gone for Detroit and Torrey Craig in Milwaukee, what will head coach Mike Malone decide to do?

He could start Porter Jr. alongside Millsap, giving the team a larger look. Even as his game declines due to athleticism, Millsap is a tough, strong defender who can take on larger wings or bigs, alleviating the pressure on Porter Jr. or Jokic. Yet his offensive game is evaporating fast; he averaged just 8.0 points per game in the playoffs this past year, shooting 34.1 percent on a low volume of 3-pointers.

Malone could slide Porter Jr. to his more natural power forward position, bringing Will Barton back into the starting lineup. The 6’5″ wing started all 58 games that he played in last season, playing a team-high 33 minutes per game. While not a lockdown defender he is adequate enough not to be a turnstile and pairing him with Porter Jr. would be a much more dangerous offensive combination.

Finally, Malone could go back to last season’s starting lineup, putting Millsap and Barton on the court and bringing Porter Jr. off the bench. The thought would be shoring up the defense, as Porter Jr. is very much a below-average defender at this point in his career. The problem is that Porter Jr. is a fireball offensive scorer, and this team wants his scoring out there. Playing him as a starter also shows him off to teams in case the Nuggets decide to get active in trading for a disgruntled star. All three options are viable and bring a slightly different look.