An easily overlooked aspect of the Denver Nuggets' championship run was a full-time commitment to small-ball when Nikola Jokic was getting a breather. Just because coach Michael Malone finally found a workable formula with the reigning NBA Finals MVP on the bench, though, hardly means the Nuggets have stopped scouring the basketball world for a quality backup center.

Denver signed free agent seven-footer Jay Huff to a two-way contract on Sunday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The G League's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Huff averaged 15.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game last season across 28 games with the South Bay Lakers and Capital City Go-Go. He shot 64.5% from the field and an intriguing 40.4% from beyond the arc, albeit on low three-point volume.

Huff played with the Houston Rockets at Las Vegas Summer League, appearing in just two games as the team prioritized the development of younger players.

As a two-way player, the 25-year-old is limited to be active for 50 games with the Nuggets in 2023-24. Don't be surprised if he sees regular court time behind Jokic for single-game matchups and intermittent stretches across the 82-game grind, though. DeAndre Jordan is more valuable as a locker-room presence than nightly rotation player in the twilight of his career, and is the only other true center on the roster.

Huff's ability to protect the rim and offer some semblance of floor-spacing could provide some stylistic flexibility for Denver's bench units, too. Aaron Gordon doesn't need the hassle of playing backup five during the regular season, either, and Malone is clearly still developing trust in versatile young big man Zeke Nnaji.

The Western Conference could be deeper than ever in 2023-24. Inconsequential as it seems on the surface, the signing of a deep reserve like Huff might make a crucial difference for the Nuggets when it comes to playoff seeding on their quest for back-to-back titles.