Even though they've been without Jamal Murray for the past few weeks due to a hamstring injury, the Denver Nuggets have been finding ways to tally victories, thanks in large part to the MVP-caliber efforts of Nikola Jokic. But on Monday night, with Jokic exiting the game in the first half of the Nuggets' contest against the Detroit Pistons due to an ejection, Denver needed huge efforts from its role players, and that's exactly what the team got, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope putting in an inspired two-way effort en route to a 107-103 win.
Caldwell-Pope posted 20 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block, emerging as one of the Nuggets' more reliable scorers in the aftermath of Jokic's ejection. Moreover, he was instrumental as ever in defending the point of attack, guarding Cade Cunningham late in the contest.
Thus it's no surprise that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's herculean two-way effort did not go unnoticed for Jamal Murray, with the injured Nuggets guard even starting Caldwell-Pope's campaign for a noteworthy defensive acclaim.
“KCP Is First Team All Defense🔒,” Murray wrote on his official Twitter (X) account.
There are plenty of elite perimeter defenders in the NBA so Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has gone under the radar over the past few years. But now that he's plying his trade for the reigning champion Nuggets, Caldwell-Pope's true impact to winning is rising to the forefront as many come to recognize just how elite of a defender he truly is.
Acquired for Monte Morris and Will Barton, the Nuggets acquired an elite role player in Caldwell-Pope, continuing to reap the benefits of an increasingly lopsided trade.
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