A scary time in Denver has ended. Jonas Valančiūnas was acquired by the Denver Nuggets early in the offseason, who was supposed to be an important piece for them next season. Valančiūnas was flirting with the idea of playing in Greece, instead of playing in Denver, but has officially announced he will honor his contract.
Valančiūnas spoke with Dontas Urbonas, VP Media & Partnership at Basket News, stating "I want to clear the air about my playing situation next season now that Denver has made their decision to keep me. The idea of playing for Panathinaikos, closer to home, was very exciting to me, but that will have to wait. I am fully committed to honoring my contract with the Nuggets this season and will give it my all to compete for a championship."
Now that Valančiūnas has confirmed he's playing for the Nuggets, the fans in Denver should be thrilled and the teams across the league should fear their newfound depth.
Nuggets depth chart with Jonas Valančiūnas
PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jamal Murray | Christian Braun | Cameron Johnson | Aaron Gordon | Nikola Jokic |
Tim Hardaway Jr. | Bruce Brown Jr. | Julian Strawther | Jonas Valančiūnas | |
Jalen Pickett | Peyton Watson | Zeke Nanji | DaRon Holmes II | |
Hunter Tyson |
Compared to where the Nuggets were last year, their depth is much improved. Their only viable bench option was Russell Westbrook, who could possibly re-sign, and the rest were a bunch of time fillers. This resulted in Denver having one of the worst net ratings in the league, when Nikola Jokic was off the court.
Tim Hardaway Jr and Bruce Brown Jr. make all the difference for the Denver bench. Hardaway can have hot scoring stretches by getting hot from three, while Brown has proven to have success in the Nuggets system, being a member of the 2023 championship team.
With the addition of Valančiūnas, it lengthens the bench at the center position. Previously, Jokic was being backed up by DeAndre Jordan, who wasn't playing every game nor could be bring the same impact as he once could. Valančiūnas is still a great post scorer, can space the floor, and is a great rebounder. His ability lifts a load of Jokic, where he doesn't need to be playing 44 plus minutes in the playoffs.
On top of Valančiūnas, DaRon Holmes II can be an X-factor. He missed all last season with an achillies tear that happened in his first Summer League game. An athletic big who can stretch the floor and protect the rim also gives needed depth at the four and five for Jokic and Aaron Gordon.
Valančiūnas confirming he'll be with Denver makes them scary. They took the eventual NBA Champions to seven games with shorter rotation and the pieces they added makes them better and gives them a chance to win the championship.