The Nuggets realized the value of former South Carolina basketball player PJ Dozier in the bubble.
PJ Dozier was drafted when the Denver Nuggets entered the bubble, receiving a multi-year contract in July. The deal was an obvious update to their previous two-way contract and showed that the team was planning to use the Columbia native to build their future.
The former Gamecock player had only been part of the Denver squad since the end of June and I didn’t know if he would have his chance. Fortunately for Dozier, the depth chart would not allow him to stay on the sidelines.
In early August, the bubble was starting to grow. Denver was safe on the playoff field, having already won a spot in the West, but was also dealing with some serious injury problems.
Young talent Gary Harris was wasting time with a hip muscle strain, rising star Jamal Murray would sit down due to tension in his left tendon, and eight-year-old veteran Will Barton III lost a few games fighting pain in his right knee.
This provided the opportunity for Dozier to hit the ball, and he did. The guard hit double digits four times during the month of August, ending the regular season with an explosion of 20 points against the Raptors. He averaged 10.3 points and shelled out 4.3 cents in a dispute in the last month before the playoffs.
The former South Carolina basketball student could be molded into the next great 6th player from Denver.
The 6’6 ″ Dozier is a great finisher on the rim and has excellent court vision. It can easily fit into the future of Nuggets. Denver is still very high in Harris and Murray’s young tandem, but I think Dozier provides use coming off the bench as a relief.
Looking at the Nuggets depth chart, they have a total of seven guards, however, unlike the Silva-Miami situation, this list creates guaranteed playing time for Dozier.
The guards that the Nuggets have outside Dozier are: Jamal Murray and Gary Harris (the two starters), Will Barton III, Terry Craig, Troy Daniels and Monte Morris.
Barton may be a good veteran in the locker room, but there is no way the Nuggets would want to continue paying him the $ 25 million guaranteed over the next two seasons. Although Barton provides a good 15 points per game, I don’t see Nuggets betting on him in the long run.
Craig, Daniels and Morris average less than ten points per game and, while they are cheap, they do not have the longevity that Dozier has. Craig and Daniels are almost 30 and do not give Nuggets much hope for improvement. Morris has an average of nine points per game and definitely has a chance to remain in the Nuggets squad, but regardless, I don’t think it will hurt Dozier’s playing time in the future of the Nuggets.
Dozier’s NBA bubble game showed the team that the long-term investment is worth it. It is long and grips boards, can thread the needle and create pieces and can end in painting.
I believe Dozier is best used as the sixth man on the team. It can be the future of this organization’s relief and provide immediate game creation, taking the point from the bank.
Dozier also seems to fit in the Denver Nuggets locker room. In an interview after the game, Jamal Murray praised Dozier for his ability to “pump your blood”:
“He’s no novice, he’s talking to everyone, making me go.”
PJ Dozier is one of the few Gamecock players in the NBA and fans should be grateful that he has made such progress in his G-League tenure.
Dozier left college without being drafted and signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder before inevitably joining his G-league affiliate, Oklahoma City Blue. He then jumped into the Boston Celtics, joining the Maine Red Claws until he finally reached a place where he would shine, the Windy City Bulls.
After a great year in the G-League, in which Dozier averaged more than 21 points per game, seven bags and seven assists, the Denver Nuggets called Dozier and he proved his worth.