This is GENIUS by the Nuggets...

This is genius by the Denver Nuggets as their plans have just been revealed in a big way for this season regarding their biggest offseason acquisition and their plans overall that this was a move that directly is going to impact Jamal Murray who has spent way, way, way too much time being the only ball handler on this team, which has been a clear problem for the Nuggets. One of the reasons why they have been unable to really recapture that magic they had in 2023 when they had a few different ball handlers, and obviously though Nicola Jokic does help this situation Murray has spent way too much time as the lone ball handler on this team and now the Nuggets making sure that they never have to deal with that problem again. David Eilman has revealed a plan in a big way for this team and we're going to dive right into it as it does involve the biggest move they made in DeMar DeRozan. Guys, before we do that, make sure to go ahead and subscribe to the channel and also answer me this question. Should DeMar DeRozan start for the Denver Nuggets this season? Comment Y for yes and comment N for no on that matter because that's been a highly debated conversation over the last couple of days because DeRozan is obviously a great player. An all-time great who's going to finish his career in the top 10 points scored in a single career which is insane to think about, but that's how long DeRozan has been this good at basketball. Truly one of those underrated talents of this era because he hasn't really won a bunch. He's been on Raptors teams that came close but kept running into LeBron James or was on pretty bad teams that really had no hope of winning. He hasn't been on a contender since he left the Raptors, but now he finds him on one again and this is a real chance for DeRozan to have a great season, but we did see one update that honestly makes too much sense for the Nuggets. DeMar DeRozan will take on a bench role for the first time in his career this season according to head coach David Adelman. The Nuggets will figure out how DeRozan fits into the rotation with different lineups tested throughout the preseason, but the main thing is DeRozan is going to be this team's sixth man which it does create a few things. One, I mean clear favor for sixth man of the year, absolutely. Also on top of that too is that this is the exact type of move they should make because it optimizes DeRozan but also does help out Jamal Murray at not being the only ball handler and gives them the most ball handling they've had since they won their last title and this year them only having a 4% chance on Cal State to win the NBA title. It's obviously super important that DeRozan does excel in this role and I think he will going up against guys who are other backups where DeRozan will be absolutely just able to cook them. And guys, I do want to thank Cal State for sponsoring today's video on Cal State. You are trading against other users, not the house like traditional sportsbooks. You're buying yes or no contracts on the outcome of events across sports, politics, and even the weather. For example, the Nuggets winning the 2027 NBA championship. Now, if you are to trade $25 on the Nuggets winning the 2027 NBA finals, you can make $585. It is a great, great, great deal for you and it also helps the channel out a bunch when you do sign up using code DigestNBA for this when you sign up using the link in our description and comment. Guys, it's great. You get $55 for only a $25 trade. You can't beat that deal. But what else you can't beat is if you're a bench guarding DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan going up against other backups means he's going to be able to cook them. He's going to be able to run the bench unit. And for the first time in a long time, the Nuggets are going to have someone who's going to be able to create a shot for themselves or for others on their bench who, which indirectly means that they won't have to play Nicole Jokic or Jamal Murray, have one of them on the floor all 48 minutes or the team falls apart. We know the Nuggets are not good without Jokic and Murray. Their actual net rating without Jokic on the floor alone was negative last year at a negative 0.2. But without Jokic and Murray, it went to like around a negative 4.5. Around that, maybe it was like a 4.3. But still, still same issue. They can't win without Jokic or Murray. And obviously they would not win long term without them. But having DeRozan come out on the bench, being able to handle the ball, being able to create for himself and get himself a good amount of buckets per night really is going to be a huge difference maker for the Nuggets going forward. DeRozan is still a very talented player. Yeah, he's older. Is he the guy from Toronto? No, but he still is putting up 18.4 points per game as of last year with four assists and shooting 50% from the field. He's an effective isolation scorer who can get mid-range shots very quickly and is a way, way, way underrated facilitator as well. One of the better passers in the league and someone who, though won't be playing point guard directly, will be able to use a lot of point guard-esque skills, which he's had in a while and really developed in San Antonio when he became a more well-rounded player. And DeRozan, he's talked about his plans as well and that he was actually open to coming off the bench when he signed in Denver because he thought it gave them a chance to win, saying, My whole career, I've had the ball in my hands. I've had to initiate offense. Whatever I can do to take pressure off them all or the big fella, I'm for all that. This is how you do it. You make sure that they don't have to play the whole game or at least one of them doesn't have to be in the corner at all times because you can handle the ball. You can take pressure off them. So many times last season, if Jamal or Yoke did not have the ball, it would go into the hands of someone who could not create for themselves and could not create for others. It was a direct problem that stalled out their offense while the defense has never been their strong suit, meaning they're not going to play good basketball. And that's a problem that DeRozan fixes. It's why I've loved this DeRozan move since the Nuggets made it. It was just the perfect situation for both parties to bring in a guy who's very good, who knows the league as well as anyone, and also still gives a high-quality impact. Now, overall, yeah, you can have your criticism about DeRozan. He can't shoot well. He's had bad moments in the playoffs. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but he's also had good moments in the playoffs. And overall, though, his efficiency in the playoffs has been pretty low throughout his career, he is still someone who's now in a different role, and that'll help him in the playoffs, especially when he's running a 5-0, when he's out there with Jamal, when he's out there with Nikola Jokic. And you have guys out there like Christian Brown, who if he's back will be able to hit threes. And Aaron Gordon, who shot 39% from deep last year. DeRozan, who I do imagine will then be able to use, he'll be able to flash the midrange, flash the paint a little bit, have Jokic move around, have a spread-out offense that will work in his favor, unlike what he's dealt with before. Now, again, this is a long, long time NBA success story. I mean, dating back all those days in Toronto when he was great and through his career has been a 20.1 point per game score, getting four rebounds and four assists. He's an all-around talent, and when guys like this do get older, they tend to move to the bench, and they instantly become sixth-man-of-the-year candidates because that's how good they are, and that's how good DeRozan is. And David Adleman talked about the bench identity, saying, I want to play fast with Tyus Jones and Marvin Bagley, and if that doesn't work, we slow down and get DeMar DeRozan the ball. We got to figure out who fits best around DeMar. So, it's not just about, oh, DeMar DeRozan's on the bench, like, how does this, how does he fit in? It's how does this bench fit around DeMar DeRozan? DeMar is the man in which this bench was built around. David Adleman understands who the best player on the bench is. He knows it's DeRozan. DeRozan's one of the best players on the team in a general sense. He just doesn't fit with the starting five as much as he does with the bench unit. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray called DeRozan and said they wanted him here. DeRozan liked that. He wanted to join in, and he did, and you know what? It worked, or looks like it's going to work really, really well. Now, yeah, say what you want about that team coming off the bench with Marvin Bagley, DeMar, Julian Strother. No, there isn't defense there, but if there's high-quality offense, then it really doesn't matter. The Indiana Pacers had bad defense, and they were a game away from the NBA Finals not that long ago. So, or a game away from winning the NBA Finals, I should say. They were very much in the NBA Finals not that long ago. And now, when we look at everything, I really do think it's huge going forward that DeRozan does have a consistent role off the bench. I think it makes a ton of sense, and I really look forward to seeing how it works out. Guys, let me know what you think in the comments down below. Like this video, subscribe, turn on post notifications. Have a great day, and I'll catch you all later.