ESPN gives Nuggets solid grade for DeMar DeRozan signing

The Denver Nuggets got better by signing DeMar DeRozan, and that’s notable when you’re working under such tough constraints.

ESPN graded the Nuggets‘ one-year, $3.9 million deal as a B — echoing what I’ve been saying: the fit isn’t perfect, but he adds some badly needed talent to Denver’s rough bench.

“Even in his late 30s, DeRozan offers a different level of scoring and playmaking — he’s a very underrated passer — than any other option outside the Nuggets’ starting lineup,” ESPN wrote. “He should be able to help stabilize the offense when Jokic or Jamal Murray rest.”

Before the signing, the Nuggets’ highest-scoring bench options were Marvin Bagley III at 10.5 points per game last season and Julian Strawther in limited action at 7.2. DeRozan, even at 37, averaged 18.4 points and 4.1 assists with Sacramento last year. Aside from Russell Westbrook, he may have the strongest resume of any reserve in the Nikola Jokic era.

DeRozan may fill a role more similarly to that of Westbrook or Bruce Brown rather than Tim Hardaway Jr. That is both because DeRozan is not a 3-point shooter — career 30% from deep — and he’s an underrated passer. The shooting guard is one of the best midrange scorers ever, but as ESPN noted, he could create spacing issues alongside Nikola Jokic and a Christian Braun coming off a 30% season from distance himself.

DeRozan won’t fill the defensive holes left in Peyton Watson’s wake. ESPN noted his ‘considerable defensive limitations.

Still, ESPN’s grade captures correctly: context matters. The Nuggets are the only team in the second apron. They couldn’t take back salary in the Watson deal. They can’t use exceptions. The veteran’s minimum is the only mechanism they have. And on the veteran’s minimum market, DeRozan was one of the best players available. Getting a six-time All-Star for $2.4 million against the cap is the kind of move that makes a bad offseason slightly less bad — even in a world where he and Watson should both be on the squad.

As ESPN concluded: “For years now, Denver’s bench has been a problem, and DeRozan won’t come close to solving that issue all on his own. But it’s slightly less of an issue today than it was yesterday.”

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