Defending champions, the Nuggets will have to defend their crown without Bruce Brown neither Jeff Greentheir two main replacements from the last campaign, who left for Indiana and Houston respectively.
Will the bench, one of the team’s major weaknesses for several seasons, in these conditions once again pose a problem in Colorado? This is the fear of many fans but the club’s GM, Calvin Booth, accepts his strategy which consists of focusing on the internal development of young people. Sophomores Christian Braun and Peyton Watson should have very big responsibilities in relay for the starters.
Calvin Booth fan of Peyton Watson
“ [Watson] will surprise a lot of people because he is so strong” assures Christian Braun about his comrade, from whom Denver expects a lot. “Some teams have raised the stakes for Bruce (Brown) but you have to be careful what you wish for” Calvin Booth bluntly blurts out at The Ringer. “Peyton is bigger. With more scope. He is more athletic. He defends better. He makes better passes. He doesn’t have the experience and he’s not that good offensively yet, but we need defense more than offense in our team.”
This is quite a mark of confidence for a player who still has to prove himself in the NBA…
Calvin Booth is in any case clearly not afraid to say what he thinks, as when he explains why he transferred the promising Bones Hyland to the Clippers during the season.
“We couldn’t keep two guys who couldn’t defend, and we couldn’t afford to have two young guys who think about themselves first” he blurted. “Mike (Michael Porter Jr) makes over $30 million a year. He’s one of the best shooters in the league. So Bones, there’s no room for you. »
Bones Hyland will appreciate, as will Michael Porter Jr. But with a major five (Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr, Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) which weighs more than 150 million dollars this season (out of the 179 million payroll), Calvin Booth knows he can’t do anything crazy to fill his bench.
Young people rather than mercenaries
Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan are there, at a lower cost, to bring a little experience but the manager is banking on youth to help his holders defend the title. Because the GM does not want to supplement its workforce every summer with “mercenaries” hired all year round…
“That’s another reason why we have three rookies (Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett and Hunter Tyson). To have guys who know how to play, and who we control (thanks to rookie contracts).”
The future will tell if this strategy of “youth coming off the bench” will allow the Nuggets to retain their title, but with the new collective agreement, which limits franchise spending, it is in any case an interesting development path for the clubs who want to create a dynasty in the new economic ecosystem.
“Our guys are tired. It will be difficult to retain the title”however, notes Calvin Booth. “But if everything is optimized, we should be able to win three or four titles. »
