The newest member of the Nuggets’ rotation flexed his versatility on both ends in Denver’s final game before the All-Star break.

Zeke Nnaji made his return to Denver’s rotation after Peyton Watson suffered a sprained right knee that kept him out of the team’s seven games prior to the break. The injury is expected to keep Watson out of action for a couple of weeks when the season resumes.

Since then, Nnaji’s made two starts and played 21 or more minutes in six of his seven appearances leading into the break. The 37 minutes he played Tuesday were the most to date in his five-year professional career.

“This is probably the first time in a while that he has an opportunity to play big minutes, important minutes and a lot of minutes. He’s good,” Nikola Jokic said after posting his 25th triple-double of the season Wednesday against Portland. “He’s decisive. When he’s open, he shoots. He’s aggressive. He’s attacking the boards. He’s still probably trying to kind of figure it out, but I think he’s doing a really good job. Defensively, he’s really good.”

Nnaji did just about all of that in Wednesday’s win against the Trail Blazers, his best game of the season. Nnaji scored a season-high 16 points, making 2 of 4 attempts from 3-point range and 4 of 5 shots inside the arc. His first points came off an alley-oop finish off a feed from Jokic. His third bucket was the product of Jokic wrapping a pass around Portland’s help defender for a layup. Nnaji was on the receiving end of a no-look pass that completed Jokic’s triple-double in the game’s final minutes.

“It’s definitely something that you have to be ready for, because if you never played with him before you’re going to be caught off guard,” Nnaji said. “Because you’re like ‘No one can make that pass.’ Then, all of a sudden, there it is right to your chest.”

For most of Nnaji’s career, his minutes have come in relief of Jokic instead of on the court alongside him. That’s meant more time at power forward, his preferred position.

“I love the ‘4.’ It’s super natural. I feel like it plays to all my strengths, being able to play on the perimeter, being able to use my defensive versatility, being able to run the floor, but also I think it’s great, because it’s like we have more size on the floor with me at the ‘4,’” Nnaji said. “I think that gives a lot of teams some problems both on rebounding and defense, and on offense, too.”

The 24-year-old’s highest-scoring game of the season also included his best defensive game. He blocked four shots and recorded three steals against the Trail Blazers. He started his return to the rotation by effectively guarding Hornets forward Miles Bridges and the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson. Wednesday’s game featured Nnaji frequently being switched onto Portland’s Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija. All of his blocks came either after he switched onto a Portland guard or helped on a big. His three steals came in similar fashion, as he pinched in to offer additional help.

“The biggest thing was just being able to switch onto their guards. I knew they were going to try to set a lot of screens and get me onto some of their guards,” Nnaji said.

“The biggest thing was just being ready to be able to contain and guard and also contest.”

Nuggets coach Michael Malone again awarded Nnaji the team’s defensive player of the game award, adding the surging big man also contested 17 shots. Malone acknowledged some of the rotation players during the win streak leading up to the All-Star break won’t be out there whenever the team reaches full strength.

The Nuggets were without Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Russell Westbrook and Watson. So Nnaji, Jalen Pickett, DeAndre Jordan and Hunter Tyson all played more than 6 minutes.

“Probably, a lot of these guys may not play at all, but the good thing for me is that they’ve shown and proven that, if called upon, they can go out there and get the job done. As much as I hope and pray that we stay healthy for the remaining 27 games and postseason, you know injuries are always a part of it, unfortunately,” Malone said.

“That’s only going to help their confidence in themselves as we move forward, and we can rely upon them if need be.”

The last seven games have provided Nnaji confidence. When the season resumes Thursday, it will resume against a Charlotte team Nnaji posted a career-high five blocks on Feb. 1. Nnaji credited the rest of the Nuggets with another assist to keep him ready when he was out of the rotation.

“It’s really been my teammates. They’ve always been super supportive of the work that I’ve been putting in. I’ve got a lot of guys that come and work with me every day. There’s a lot of guys that are in my corner, giving me advice and stuff like that,” Nnaji said. “So, I knew that as soon as my number was called on, that I would be ready, because I have those guys I’m out there with. I’m not out there by myself. I’m out there with four other guys. I know they always have my back. That gives me all the confidence in the world.”