Defensive-oriented Jazz rookie swingman Juwan Morgan, who went undrafted in 2019 out of Indiana University, has already developed into a playoff starter for the West’s No. 6 seed. Tony Jones of The Athletic details Morgan’s journey.
After starting point guard Mike Conley left the NBA’s Orlando restart campus to attend the birth of his child, coach Quin Snyder elected to move All-Star Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell to the point to make room for Morgan as the team’s starting power forward in their quarterfinals matchup with the Nuggets, currently knotted at 1-1.
“My main focus was the same thing any time I step on the floor,” Morgan said of his playoff debut as a starter. “I wanted to hustle hard, play defense, get offensive boards and block out. I wanted to do all the little things and then make life easier for all of the other guys.” Conley has since returned to Disney World and is probable to rejoin his Jazz teammates for tomorrow’s third game in the series.
There’s more out of the Northwest:
- Veteran Nuggets power forward Paul Millsap needs to be relegated to the bench in favor of the more athletic Jerami Grant, Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post opines. Millsap is currently the team’s highest paid player earning $30.5MM this season on an expiring deal, but Kiszla sees the 35-year-old former All-Star as a liability to the team’s success in third-seeded Denver’s playoff quarterfinals series against the Jazz.
- The outcome of the series between the Nuggets and the Jazz may be determined by which team can out-rebound the other, per Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. Because Nuggets All-Star center Nikola Jokic represents a threat to initiate his team’s offense or shoot from outside the paint, he draws his All-Star counterpart Rudy Gobert away from the basket, which leaves his Jazz teammates vulnerable to taller Nuggets players in the battle of the boards. “It’s really a point of emphasis for our team,” Gobert said. “Especially with the way [the Nuggets] crash the boards and the way my guys have been fighting. I need to go back out there and make sure I get those long rebounds.”
- In case you missed it: The Timberwolves, who entered the NBA draft lottery with a 14% chance of moving up to take the top pick, will now draft first during the 2020 draft, as we detailed earlier tonight. Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, and Obi Toppin are among the most-coveted players ahead of this year’s draft. The Wolves last had the No. 1 draft pick in 2015, when the team selected future All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Wrong link to anthony Edwards…..unless the TWolves are gonna draft a 47 year old bench player from some small D2 school…..which….I can see them doing
Didn’t he play “Goose” in Top Gun?
(It’s fixed now )
The Denver writer was rough on Millsap & the HC for not benching him:
“Millsap has been awful for more than a month, averaging a measly [8.3ppg, 4.2reb and 43%. It’s a no-brainer to instead start Jerami Grant], averaging 15.5 points in the bubble and much more adept at getting out to pressure Utah’s 3-point attempts… at one point Utah was 16 for 39. ”
Writer Kiszla: “Despite the league’s best efforts to pump up the volume with an endless playlist of party tunes played on top of canned crowd noise, it’s almost eerie how a losing team stews in silence as a game slips away.
Jamal Murray: “We have to get on each other more. We’ve got to keep the energy up”
Nuggets the rising team in the WC?— Injured starters Harris and Barton could keep in front of perimeter opponents but are no go here. Supposedly Mike Conley will return for Utah.
Of all the playoff teams in the West, the Nuggets scare me the least.
LAC & HOU are less scary!
Whatever you say, keep your head in the sand. Denver is trailing 2-1 against a Jazz team with missing players. The Clippers are arguably the best team in the NBA, and are without Beverley in game 3, yet still lead by 14 at the half in their attempt to take a 2-1 lead. And the Rockets are without their 2nd best player, yet still have a 2-0 lead against OKC.
How exactly are the Nuggets more scary than those two?
UTA is only missing one starter, not that good one, DEN is missing 2 starters, there is the reason, if only you could think about posting!
Nuggets aren’t healthy. A healthy Nuggets team is a good team. They will have cap space next yr. They will be dangerous then. Porter needs to give them mins too. Should play more consistent next yr. Third in west this yr. Will be better next yr. That’s pretty good to me.
Utah isn’t healthy either, and could easily be up 3-0 right now.
No matter which one the Timberpuppies take with the #1 pick; it will be the WRONG one….
nentwigs………as a Wolves fan I agree…be a miracle they don’t screw the pooch!!
The NBA makes sure the Wolves almost never move up , but now that they did it was year without a clear cut ##1 pick. Could be any of 4 players I think and I’m sure MN will screw it up or we will just be struck with a bad luck injury. I would’t mind seeing them try and trade the pick for more capital…Someone like the Knick’s might be desperate to compete quicker than the wolves. If we could dump james Johnsons salary , get multiple #1’s in multiple years I could see trading it.
Minnesota certainly wasn’t unlucky when they got the opportunity to draft Towns. Every fan wants to claim their team is “hated” by the league without any actual evidence. Knicks fans are the worst offenders
Adding to my previous post………I would hope Evan Turners salary could be dumped as well in any trade of the #1 pick. Wolves need multiple picks and salary relief to be much , much more aggressive in FA also.
In your own words. “no clear cut #1 pick. Yet you think someone is giving you multiple #1s. Minny could probably get a few offers. Hornets would love to get Wiseman. Hawks Edwards. Minny should just take Edwards. That’s a serious backcourt for next 10 yrs.
Turner is gone bro. His contract is up.