Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:

NBA Insider

There’s still a couple of weeks for things to change, but the four newcomers in Denver’s first and second unit seem to have pretty clearly defined roles.

Here’s what the one new starter and three second-unit additions have shown throughout the final minutes of a training-camp scrimmage the media was allowed to watch and two preseason games:

Cam Johnson

The Nuggets’ new starting small forward got a crash course is playing alongside Nikola Jokic in Denver’s second preseason game. Jokic had the ball along the baseline on the right side of the court and fired a no-look pass the length of the baseline to Johnson in the opposite corner. The pass was a little off target, but Johnson was open enough he had time to regain his balance after reaching to make the catch and go up for an uncontested look. Johnson misfired, but his made 3-pointer earlier in the first quarter shows what he brings to the group.

Johnson initiated a pick-and-roll with Jokic in the first 30 seconds of the game. With a help defender preventing a driving finish and two defenders and Jokic behind the ball, Johnson kicked the ball to Peyton Watson in the right corner and relocated to the 3-point line. Watson’s drive occupied Toronto’s scrambling defense, and Johnson drained an uncontested 3 from the right wing to open the scoring. He finished 1 of 3 from 3 but made all three of his shots inside the arc, finishing 11 points and four rebounds in 20 minutes of playing time. The Nuggets won those minutes by 23 points, the best mark on the team.

It was a welcome development after a quiet debut, but Johnson’s a natural fit with the rest of Denver’s starting five. Johnson’s basketball IQ should help expedite the process of developing chemistry. As long as that’s the case, Denver’s starting five will again be one of the league’s best.

Jonas Valanciunas

It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s been more than good enough to feel like the Nuggets have finally found their backup center.

Valanciunas’ assist to Julian Strawther in Denver’s preseason debut should’ve opened some eyes. Strawther passed to Valanciunas at the top of the key, curled around the big man and cut to the hoop. Valanciunas, palming the ball in his right hand, needled a pass through traffic to Strawther right in front of the rim for a three-point play. Valanciunas has also shown he can run dribble-handoffs in the training camp scrimmage and two preseason games. He’s made 5 of 9 shots from the field through two games. Valanciunas, a nearly 80% free-throw shooter for his career went just 2 of 5 from the line Tuesday. The only real concern is his seven turnovers in 26 minutes of playing time.

Regardless of the growing pains with a new team, the last time the Nuggets had a backup center with the size and skill set to help there be some continuity in style of play when Jokic was on the court, it was the short time DeMarcus Cousins spent in Denver. Valanciunas might not be in Denver beyond this season, but his addition elevates the Nuggets’ championship chances.

Bruce Brown

The second stint looks enough like the first through two games.

Brown’s energy and activity on the defensive end should be a perfect fit should Denver play the more aggressive brand of defense they talked about at training camp. He’s been disruptive with four steals and three blocks in two games off the bench.

The offense has been a mixed bag. He handled pressure well enough and hit a jumper but had one floater blocked and missed another in Saturday’s loss to the Timberwolves. He was more efficient inside the arc Monday but committed four turnovers in 18 minutes against the Raptors.

There’s been a lot of talk about Peyton Watson’s improved ability on the ball, but running the second unit will remain one of Brown’s most important roles. The Nuggets faced a lot of pressure to start the preseason, and Brown was far from the only player struggling to take care of the ball in the win over the Raptors.

As long as the defensive energy is consistent and the responsibility with the ball grows with the second unit’s chemistry, Brown will be well-positioned to hold off Jalen Pickett’s push for playing time.

Tim Hardaway Jr.

The veteran wing hasn’t done what he was brought to Denver to do just yet, but the approach is encouraging.

Hardaway, a 36% 3-point shooter over his 12-year NBA career, is 1 for 7 from deep to start preseason. The encouraging part is he’s kept shooting. After missing both his attempts against Minnesota, Hardaway got five more 3s up Monday. He’s 2 of 10 from the field in total.

The most-senior Nugget had an impressive finish for a three-point play off a dribble-handoff set with Valanciunas and dove for a loose ball in the scrimmage at training camp. The three assists and two rebounds he recorded in the opener show he’s capable of contributing even when the shot isn’t falling at its usual rate.

If the Nuggets run a nine-man rotation, Hardaway and Julian Strawther will likely be in competition for the final spot in the nightly rotation, and that could very well come down to who is making shots and providing space for the rest of the second unit to operate.

What I’m Thinking

David Adelman can do us all a favor and use Denver’s lone preseason home game as a dress rehearsal.

The Nuggets have had an interesting preseason schedule, opening the five-game slate in San Diego. That was convenient on two fronts – it was the site of the Nuggets’ training camp, and the game was held at Pechanga Arena. The Kroenke Group just so happens to be invested in the redevelopment of what was formerly known as the San Diego Sports Arena. The Nuggets then traveled to Vancouver to participate in the NBA’s Canada Series. True road games against the Clippers and Thunder leave Tuesday’s game against the Bulls as local fans’ only chance to score some cheap tickets to see the home team before prices and demand increase in the regular season.

It would be more than a nice gesture to the home fans. The Clippers and Thunder are among the top threats in Denver’s path back to the Finals. The same cannot be said of the Bulls. It makes the most sense to use the only game at Ball Arena as the truest tune of the preseason.

What They’re Saying

DaRon Holmes II hasn’t been part of the second unit through two preseason games, but he got some props for stepping up in the final four minutes of Monday’s win in Vancouver. Holmes hit both of the 3s he attempted – one that tied the game with 3:26 left and another that put the Nuggets up six with 41 seconds left – and grabbed a couple of defensive rebounds in fewer than five minutes of playing time.

“Way to be ready to play, man,” Adelman said in the postgame locker room. “When I put you in the game, you were ready to play. I thought everybody in here, when we put you in, again, you took advantage of your opportunity. That’s all that matters. All this is, is opportunity.”

Victor Wembanyama was asked about remaining unselfish after the Spurs’ preseason opener. He shared an outlook that should scare the rest of the NBA.

“There are some shots … I could make with my eyes closed, but that was to get one of my teammates a shot he can make in his sleep,” Wembanyama said after San Antonio’s exhibition against the Loong Lions.

“We have 24 seconds to find the best solution offensively. This is what we’re trying to do, because this is what great teams do.”

Lakers coach JJ Redick was not among those sweating LeBron James’ “decision,” which turned out to be an advertisement on Tuesday morning.

“I think most people that text me are also aware that it was probably an ad,” Redick said. “Nobody was freaking out.”

What I’m Following

• The vibes in Milwaukee to start the season could certainly be better. Superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo missed media day, as he was stuck in Greece with COVID. Bucks governor Wes Edens made it sound like everything was copacetic in the Cream City, saying Antetokounmpo was committed to staying with the Bucks. Antetokounmpo couldn’t remember that interaction during his online media availability. Then came Tuesday’s report Antetokounmpo was open to playing to the New York Knicks if the two teams could reach an agreement in the offseason. The Bucks better get off to a good start or the outside noise could become quite the distraction.
• NBA commissioner said the Intuit Dome’s status as home of this season’s All-Star festivities is not at stake as the league continues to investigate possible salary-cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard’s endorsement deal with Aspiration.