In defense of Cancar and the case he’s made for rotation minutes
The contingent of Nuggets who’ve spent time gathered around a TV watching the World Cup this week is predictable: there’s Serbian Nikola Jokic, Slovenian Vlatko Cancar, and the team’s two Brazilian strength coaches, Felipe Eichenberger and Claus Souza.
On Friday, the core roped in a few other interested parties in Jeff Green and Bruce Brown.
“We were getting Christian Braun, but he says he doesn’t understand soccer,” Cancar said over the phone, admitting his rooting interests revolved around Serbia and Croatia.
Given the week that Cancar’s had, Braun would be wise to become his understudy, on both the pitch and the court.
Since last Sunday, when Cancar hit the most improbable shot of the season in Dallas, he’s been on a high. His half- court buzzer- beater seized all the momentum in the gym and even momentarily chipped away at his close relationship with fellow Slovenian Luka Doncic.“I went to say hello to him after to their locker room,” Cancar said. “I think he was a little bit annoyed because I stole his moment.”
Three nights later in Oklahoma City, Cancar played his most complete game ever in the NBA. Along with his careerhigh 19 points, five assists and four rebounds, Cancar stymied one of the season’s early MVP candidates in Shai GilgeousAlexander.
If given the chance, could he replicate that type of production on a consistent basis? The better question, given that he’s cut from the same cloth as Jokic, is whether Cancar even cares to make that type of statistical impact.
“It’s tough to say because when I play, I only play to win,” Cancar said. “Sometimes I can score 20 points, sometimes I can score two points. As long as I’m doing the right things on the court to help my team win, I think that’s most important.”
His smothering defense on Gilgeous- Alexander was almost as improbable as the shot he made in Dallas. Cancar moved well with the slippery guard, using his length and strength to keep him from his angles. His three blocks, including one clutch denial with just 2: 09 left in regulation, were a testament to his underrated athleticism.
“When I first got into the NBA, I felt like everybody was kind of faster than me,” Cancar said. “The fast reaction time. That was something for me, at the beginning, hard to keep up.”
Cancar didn’t ask for the Gilgeous- Alexander matchup, but head coach Michael Malone and defensive
coordinator Ryan Saunders told him to be ready. After dropping some weight this summer, Cancar was.
“When you’re competing with guys who are more athletic than you, I feel like at some point you’re catching up to them,” said Cancar, who’s now in his fourth season with the Nuggets and making a legitimate case for rotation minutes.
Two nights later in
Los Angeles, Cancar was, again, a key cog in snatching a win over the Clippers. He had 13 points on
two 3- pointers, in addition to another unlikely chase- down block on John Wall. Cancar’s minutes have coincided with injuries to Michael Porter
Jr. ( heel) and Jeff Green ( knee). In that time, he’s proven he’s not a defensive liability, and offensively, he’s predisposed to make the right play.
Could he supplant Green at backup forward? That could cut the legs out of one of the most respected veterans in the locker room.
Would he be better deployed at backup five, as
opposed to Deandre Jordan or Zeke Nnaji? Perhaps, even if he’d be undersized. When the Nuggets are healthy, Cancar doesn’t have a clear path to playing time, but he’s underscored how trustworthy he is.
“( The Thunder game) gave me a lot of confidence, but at the same time, I’m proud of myself just to stay ready for any given opportunity,” he said. “Just to play simple basketball. When you play simple and play to win, you’re gonna get rewarded by that.”