If you have been watching the Denver Nuggets this postseason vs the Los Angeles Clippers you should be able to see that Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic won’t be enough to beat the Los Angeles Clippers who hold a 3-1 lead on the Denver Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr spoke about wanting the Nuggets to get more players involved which I agree with since every time Jamal Murray brought the ball up the floor I knew he was going to run a pick and roll or pop with Nikola Jokic and the Clippers caught on to that and used their length to bother Jamal Murray all night long. I’ve been saying Michael Malone has not utilized Michael Porter Jr properly all season and it will come down to what will the Denver Nuggets do if they suffer a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers? Will this just be another year of still being a young team which is years away but has the potential to be a title contender 2 years from now? I think it’s time to make decisions in Denver and they should trade Michael Porter jr.
The Washington Wizards have been holding on to hope that John Wall and Bradley Beal could make a potential run next season but I don’t see it I think the Wizards need to change course and rebuild around John Wall and Rui Hachimura who I believe will have a breakout season going into his second season. A trade that would bring Michael Porter JR,Gary Harris,Monte Morris, and Keita Baites-Diop to the Washington Wizards with Bradley Beal heading over to the Denver Nuggets would help both franchises take a step forward. The Denver Nuggets will become legitimate title-contenders with the addition of Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards could reap the rewards of a change of scenery for Michael Porter Jr and the ascension of Rui Hachimura going into his second season.
For the Washington Wizards I expect John Wall to regain his all-star form and be able to carry the Wizards into the playoffs next season. He has always had that capability as a point guard and with the right mix of weapons he could make the Washington Wizards a huge sleeper going into next season. Michael Porter Jr could play the small-forward and power-forward position just like Rui Hachimura and both have very similar skill-sets being big wings with long arms who can create their own shots off the dribble and get you 20-30 points a night if given big minutes. Gary Harris comes over to replace Bradley Beal at shooting guard and coming out of Montclair I thought Gary Harris would be a poor-mans Ray Allen but he is more of a Raja Bell to me a guy who can get me 15-25 points on a good night play solid defense and knock down 3’s at a decent percentage. I think he would settle in as a good third to fourth option for the Washington Wizards behind John Wall,Michael Porter Jr,and Rui Hachimura. Keita Baites-Diop and Monte Morris would bolster the Wizards’ bench as well so I think it’s a good return for the Washington Wizards.
As for the Denver Nuggets sometimes after watching a player year after year you come to assumptions and as good as Nikola Jokic is he is not a first-option and has more of a Tim Duncan approach to the game. Tim Duncan was able to lead the San Antonio Spurs for close to 2 decades through his unselfish approach but you could always count on Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili to carry you offensively any given night. Jamal Murray can be an elite scorer on any given night but he is not LeBron James,Kevin Durant, or Kawhi Leonard who can players who can dominate an entire series and carry you to the Finals. Bradley Beal has been exactly what I expected one of the top 10 scorers in the NBA and he proved that by averaging 30.5 points per game this season for the Washington Wizards but he is fooling himself if he thinks he will ever have a shot at a championship in Washington. The NBA is a business and for years I have been hearing about the close bond between Bradley Beal and John Wall but the NBA is a business, Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan couldn’t be separated in Toronto after carrying the Toronto Raptors to the playoffs year after year but Masai Ujiri made a bold move for a disgruntled Kawhi Leonard and traded for Marc Gasol at the trade deadline and the Toronto Raptors became 2019 NBA Champions.
Bradley Beal has been vocal about wanting to be a player who has a team built around him but I don’t see them as that level of a player. Nikola Jokic might not be a lethal scorer but he is the face of the Denver Nuggets and has hall-of-fame potential but he needs the right personnel. With Bradley Beal alongside Jamal Murray the Denver Nuggets will have the best shooting back-court behind only Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Jamal Murray and Bradley Beal are both absolute snipers it would give Nikola Jokic not only one but two guards who can spread the floor whether it’s shooting off the catch or off the dribble. With Bradley Beal on the Denver Nuggets defenses will not be able to key in on guarding Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray because Bradley Beal can score in so many different ways. The problem with the Denver Nuggets is they are not featuring Michael Porter Jr against the Clippers enough and Gary Harris and Paul Millsap can’t make the Clippers pay for throwing double teams at Jamal and Nikola. Ultimately the Denver Nuggets will have to make a decision between Michael Porter Jr or Michael Malone unless Michael Malone adjusts his play-book and feature Michael Porter Jr as the first option he should be going into next season.
For the a successful rebuild you must make sure your core pieces fit and if Michael Malone can’t figure out a way to make Jamal Murray,Michael Porter Jr,and Nikola Jokic into a powerhouse in the West it’s time to make a trade. Stephen Curry,Klay Thompson,and Draymmond Green were all drafted by the Golden State Warriors and have dominated due to team chemistry, Tony Parker,Manu Ginobili,and Tim Duncan dominated through team chemistry as well but can Jamal Murray,Michael Porter Jr,and Nikola Jokic get to that level? That falls on the hands of Michael Malone, maybe the move to get the Denver Nuggets to that elite level is acquiring Bradley Beal. As for the Washington Wizards I feel Michael Porter Jr would give them a new look, a starting 5 of John Wall,Gary Harris,Rui Hachimura,Michael Porter Jr, and Thomas Bryant won’t make the NBA Finals but what if Michael Porter Jr gets the green light from Scott Brooks in Washington? I could see him averaging 20-25 points per game next season alongside John Wall and leading the Washington Wizards to the Eastern Conference Finals at least. Michael Porter Jr has the right approach to the game and wants to win he is showing that against the Los Angeles Clippers right now in a 3-1 hole it’s just up to Michael Malone to consider his input going into Game 5.
To conclude I am aware that the Denver Nuggets were claiming Michael Porter Jr to be untouchable but the way he is getting bashed for speaking out as a rookie and calling out the coaching staff I don’t think that is fair to him. If the Denver Nuggets are not willing to hand him the keys to the offense he should demand a trade so he can show us how great he can be elsewhere. With John Wall running the offense Michael Porter Jr’s game will only be easier as John Wall is a top 5 floor-general when healthy and one of the best passers in the game. I believe this trade helps both the Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets get where they need to be over the new few years. For the Denver Nuggets with a big 3 of Jamal Murray,Bradley Beal,and Nikola Jokic I think they could compete for championships over the next 4-5 years, as for the Washington Wizards if Rui Hachimura and Michael Porter Jr reach the level I’m expecting over the next 3-4 years I could see John Wall winning the Washington Wizards their first championship since the late 1970’s. There is always that one trade in NBA history we always look back on and this could be 1 of them if it happens, till next time.
D-NBA 