Jerrelle Benimon brings energy in first preseason game

Sep 29, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Jerrelle Benimon (20) poses for a portrait during media day at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Jerrelle Benimon is likely one of the longest shots to make an NBA roster this preseason.

The former Towson star and current rookie for the Denver Nuggets is playing on a contract that only guarantees him $35,000 of a potential $507,336 for this season. To make matters worse, the Nuggets already have 13 fully guaranteed contracts on their roster and seem likely to keep former draft picks Quincy Miller and Erick Green, who are also playing on non-guaranteed deals. Plus, Benimon’s high energy skill set is somewhat redundant with recently extended forward Kenneth Faried. Oh, and lest we forget that the Nuggets just signed veteran forward Alonzo Gee, a defensive stalwart that started 137 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the past three seasons, to compete for that spot as well. To say the cards are stacked against Benimon would be an understatement.

And yet, I’m not sure that any of those factors should matter.

Benimon has impressed at literally every stop that he’s made along his path to this moment. At Towson, he finished third in the NCAA in rebounding in each of the last two seasons while maintaining an assist rate over 20 percent and scoring just about 20 points per-40 minutes. His well-rounded game won him accolades, but his relentless energy and tenacity on the court earned him a nickname: Benimonster.

The nickname didn’t merit Benimon a selection in this year’s draft, but the work ethic he displayed to acquire it made Denver notice him and ask him to join its summer league team. While in Las Vegas, he averaged a double-double in three games with 10.7 points and 11.3 rebounds in 27 minutes per contest. That performance secured him a preseason contract with the Nuggets.

And last night, he continued to show off his skill level. In his first preseason action, Benimon only played 11 minutes. However, to say he made the most of that time would be an understatement, after watching him corral six rebounds, block two shots, grab a steal, and split a post double team to finish a nice little four-foot right-handed hook shot in the middle of the lane.

This is the kind of guy that every team should love to have at the end of a bench. He has an excellent attitude, provides incredible energy, and doesn’t back down from anyone. Plus he’s on rookie minimum deal, which is important for the Nuggets. They’re at $72.3 million on their 13 guaranteed contracts, which puts them approximately $4.6 million away from having to pay the luxury tax. Now, they’re not in danger of getting there with any combination of two players on non-guaranteed deals. However, it might be nice to have some wiggle room for trades down the line. Keeping Benimon instead of someone like Miller or Gee could save the Nuggets about $400,000 in space. That’s not a big number, but it’s one that could be significant enough to come into play as roster decisions are made.

Even if he is cut by the Nuggets, I think there’s a pretty good chance that another team could take a shot on bringing him in for all of the reasons mentioned above. And if that doesn’t happen, there’s always the D-League, where high effort players like him tend to thrive.

Benimon deserves to play in the NBA at some point. Whether he’ll get that chance immediately is now up to the Denver Nuggets’ front office.