Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters on Tuesday that his starting small forward position is an “open competition.”
“Going into camp tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock, it's an open competition,” Malone replied when asked which players would get minutes at the small forward position.
He proceeded to specifically name four players – Will Barton, Torrey Craig, Michael Porter Jr. and Juancho Hernangomez – as candidates who will be vying for time at the three.
The Nuggets finished with an impressive 54 wins last season, topping the Northwest Division and finishing second in the Western Conference behind the Golden State Warriors. Despite their regular-season prowess, though, Malone's team exited the playoffs in the second round after losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in a tough seven-game series.
Denver maintained mostly the status quo in the offseason, feeling content in not shaking up their team. The Nuggets acquired forward Jerami Grant from the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder over the summer for a future first-round pick, and they should be getting a healthy Michael Porter Jr. for the first time.
The 6-foot-6 wing Will Barton played the fourth-most minutes on the Nuggets last season, but his lack of length could hurt the team in the long run at the small forward spot. Similarly, Malik Beasley is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard.
That leaves 6-7 Torrey Craig, a third-year forward, 6-9 stretch four Juancho Hernangomez, coming off a FIBA World Cup gold medal run with Spain, and the red-shirted freshman Porter Jr. competing for the spot.
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