Kiszla vs. Singer Should JaMychal Green be starting over Paul Millsap?
Kiz: I am always quick to praise, as everybody knows. So let’s begin with big kudos to the Nuggets for starting off an important road trip with two dramatic victories in Phoenix. Most impressive. And I am also nothing if not consistent. So may I politely ask: What the heck is our very old friend Paul Millsap still doing in Denver’s starting lineup? I didn’t get it last season, when he started ahead of Jerami Grant. And I don’t think Millsap is as good a player now as JaMychal Green.
Singer: Quick aside. How long has this question been in the can? Was it prewritten? Did you just switch Grant’s name with Green? One JG to another? You’re not going to like hearing this, but Denver’s current starting lineup has an offensive rating of 122.4, or five points per 100 possessions better than the NBA’s best offense (Milwaukee). Maybe it works because Millsap doesn’t care that he’s the fifth option on offense, but it works. And as long as their defense doesn’t hemorrhage points, I suspect it’ll stay this way.
Kiz: I’ve heard Green proudly declare himself a leader of the bench mob. I also get the second unit can swing the outcome of a game, especially during a tough stretch on the schedule. But being the slave to analytics that I am (as everybody also knows), I did a little homework on Green. Heading into a date at Dallas, Green had played more than 20 minutes in eight games, averaging 12.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. What’s more, the Nuggets’ record was 6-2 in those games. If coach Michael Malone gave Green 30 minutes per night, might he average 16 and nine?
Singer: I suspect he might. But again, put Millsap with the bench unit, and wouldn’t he slow down the breakneck pace of Campazzo, Morris, Dozier and Hartenstein? Denver’s bench is currently the eighth-best scoring unit in the league. Being the slave to analytics you are, I’m sure you also know that Denver’s reserves are obliterating opponents’ second units. In a vacuum, I agree with you. I think Green is the more productive player at this stage in his career. I also think he’s more consistent. But lineup tinkering is a forest-throughthe-trees type deal. If it ain’t broke …
Kiz: Who starts an NBA game is not nearly so important as the players on the court at crunch time in the fourth quarter. So while the Nuggets’ die-hard loyalty to Millsap perplexes me, it doesn’t upset me. (OK, sometimes it does irk me, because, like Grant, I believe in the rule of the playground: The best players deserve to be on the court most of the time.) I realize Malone is smart enough to take my suggestions with a grain of salt and perhaps two aspirin. So what should I expect the division of minutes between Millsap and Green to be as this season progresses?
Singer: Two aspirin? Should we tell the readers, Kiz, that Malone’s personal subscription to The Denver Post comes with a lifetime supply of Advil, or is that revealing too much? For the benefit of your migraine relief, I’ll offer this. Millsap is averaging 8.4 second-half minutes, which is the fewest of the nine primary rotation players. Green’s averaging 11.5. Come crunch time, I feel confident in telling you Green’s going to be on the floor during “winning time” a lot more often than your all-time favorite Nugget. The platoon is working.