The Denver Nuggets just signed DeMar DeRozan to a contract after completing a trade that sent Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Throughout his time in the NBA, DeRozan has taken on many roles, but his years with the Chicago Bulls were some of the most interesting. And his time in Denver could replicate his time in Chicago, even if only on a small scale.
Denver plays at a relatively slow pace. The Nuggets ranked 20th in pace last year. That could benefit DeRozan, who likes to play primarily in the halfcourt. And if he can thrive in that type of system, he could possibly even give the Nuggets another reliable scoring option to take some of the pressure off their top stars.
DeRozan almost certainly won’t be able to return to the same form he was at during his time with the Bulls, but maybe he can revive a small piece of that. Because Denver should give him a good spot to do so.
DeMar DeRozan can be a Bulls-esque version of himself for Nuggets
The Nuggets have championship dreams. They have one of the best players in the NBA and one of the most clutch shot-makers in the league, too. But now, they also have DeRozan.
In a way – if you squint – the Nuggets are simply an elevated version of the Bulls teams that DeRozan thrived on. At least, their top pieces have some small similarities.
Jokic is simply an upgraded version of Nikola Vucevic. An insanely skilled big man who can work well out of the post. But obviously, Jokic is on a different level than Vucevic.
Then, there’s Murray. He’s an elite shot-creator. Zach LaVine never got to the same level as Murray, and he’s not the same ball-handler, but he was an All-Star guard.
Slotting DeRozan next to those two types of players could help bring a past, Chicago-esque version of him back to life. If the Nuggets trust him enough to put the ball in his hands in big moments, he could give them some big-time buckets in big-time spots.
DeRozan was a shot-making machine in Chicago. There were times when he carried the Bulls to wins on his own. Purely on the back of his own buckets.
The Nuggets don’t need that. They don’t need him to have the ball in his hands all the time. They have Jokic and Murray for that. But if he can help out, it would be incredible.
If DeRozan can be even a fraction of the shot-taker and shot-maker he was for the Bulls in Denver, it will be a win. And there’s a reasonable belief that he could be.
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