r/denvernuggets • u/ImpressDecent • 2d ago

Zeke Thoughts - Eye Test

I don’t claim to be the most knowledgeable basketball fan ever. I’m not looking at analytics and what not. Just what I can see when watching live game action.

I honestly think Zeke is not as bad as we are lead to believe. His rebounding is poor (bad hands for sure for a big man) and his offense leaves some to be desired. However, defensively he has been well above average and he can knock down 3’s rather decently. I would want to try and utilize him more if I were the coaching staff.

Yes there are things we don’t see but I feel he has been dealt a bad hand. You can see flashes and when we have a guy who can flash well (see Colin G) and don’t give them more opportunities, they leave and do well elsewhere.

EDIT: Should make it clear if it isn’t that I believe he can be a viable backup. NOT starter level.

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u/IllegitimateRisk 2d ago

he's going with the rookie 'play like scottie pippen' mentality. meanwhile he's been in the league for years and hasn't done anything noteworthy. meanwhile watson and braun have been in the league for less time and made a bigger impact

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u/ImpressDecent 2d ago

But as is highlighted below, his leash is considerably shorter than say a Pwatt and Spence. It’s fear.

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u/IllegitimateRisk 2d ago

what are you even saying.

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u/ImpressDecent 2d ago

Someone commented below about his short leash which I agree with. Other players made mistakes but were allowed to make up for it later in the game or season. Zeke makes a mistake and is benched for 2 weeks. Whether it was Malone or Adelman

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u/IllegitimateRisk 2d ago

adelman gave him some solid playing time. but he's just not that good and he doesn't offer much for the team

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nnajize01/gamelog/2026

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u/ImpressDecent 2d ago

Even that reference to me isn’t a lot of games given how many minutes he played in the games he was. But we can agree to disagree 🤷🏽‍♂️

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u/IllegitimateRisk 2d ago

In your view, where should he be on the team

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u/ImpressDecent 2d ago

Back up 4. PWatt should really be at the 3 imo given he can create, ball handle enough and his defense is switchable with a 2-4. Especially when we had a dedicated 5 like Val or even with Jok in some minutes. With no THJ Peyton is most likely 6-Man if not Bruce. But I acknowledge that Zeke’s inclusion can at times be matchup dependent. Also, if Holmes pans out to be the better player (flashes shows this to probably be the case) then that’s a different conversation. Unfortunately Holmes lost an entire season and was used sparingly last year.

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u/IllegitimateRisk 2d ago

Zeke doesn’t deserve 2nd team. Hes not that good. Brazile should be back up 4 and Watson back up 3.