Zeke Nnaji has seen more minutes in recent games and he's proven himself as a real asset on the court.
Zeke Nnaji has settled nicely into his new role and higher usage with the Denver Nuggets in the last few games.
While still on the bench, Nnaji has seen his minutes jump from just a few minutes each game to over 20 in his five of his last six games.
In that time he's scored double digit points in each of the games where he's played 20 minutes or more, and in the Nuggets' tight 108-104 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, Nnaji scored 14 points, his second-highest point total of the season, while shooting 5-9 from the field and recording a team-leading 10 rebounds.
Denver Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji (22) drives to the net against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and center Myles Turner (3) as guard Kevin Porter Jr. (7) looks on in the second quarter at Ball Arena. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn ImagesNuggets head coach David Adelman has witnessed Nnaji's transformation as an impact role player off the bench and has been liking what he's seeing from Nnaji as not just a scorer in his iwn right, but as a playmaker that sets up his teammates just as well.
Nnaji as a Shot-Creator
"He’s playing free, he’s playing confident. His finishing has been really good as of late, which is a major key for us right now because he’s rolling to the rim so much," Adelman said (via Nuggets). "He’s creating two-on-ones and three-ontwos. I thought Zeke, a few times, his roll actually created corner threes or shots for other guys. He’s just playing within himself."
Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. (7) controls the ball as Denver Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji (22) guards in the first quarter at Ball Arena. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn ImagesThe biggest benefit from Nnaji's increased time on the court has been that he's been able to build stronger chemistry with the more regular players on the court. Nnaji brings a strong defensive presence as well as his increased offensive potential and the more that he's able to form synergy with players like Jalen Pickett, the stronger that defense becomes.
Building Chemistry on the Court
"We were talking about it earlier in the game in how we were guarding. So, I would sit up on one side and switch it and Myles Turner was so far back. Zeke is a great screener and we're just going to keep trying to build that chemistry," Picket said.
Boston Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez (28) holds onto the ball while Denver Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji (22) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Bob DeChiara-Imagn ImagesThe Nuggets have won three of their last four games and Nnaji has been a major part of that success. Denver already has a deep team, something that's been proven by the fact that the Nuggets have had to dig so deep into their bench while they've suffered countless injuries to their starting rotation, and with Nnaji thriving in more time that depth is only expanded.
With more time to expand on his talents and more opportunities to impact the game, Nnaji has real potential to make the Nuggets even more formidable than they already are.