The Denver Nuggets have spent the early part of this season trying to answer one pressing question: who’s going to reliably run the offense when Jamal Murray sits? It’s been a bit of a revolving door behind Murray at the point guard spot, and in several of their losses, the lack of a steady hand off the bench has been glaring-particularly when it comes to taking care of the basketball.
But on Saturday night, Bruce Brown may have offered a glimpse of a solution. With several rotation players sidelined, Brown slid into the backup point guard role and turned in one of his most composed performances of the season-10 assists, just one turnover. It wasn’t flashy, but it was exactly what Denver needed: stability.
Now, to be clear, Brown isn’t your prototypical floor general. He’s more of a combo guard with a versatile, do-it-all game.
And after spending the last two seasons bouncing between Indiana, Toronto, and New Orleans, he hadn’t exactly built a case as a full-time facilitator. So when Denver brought him back this year-hoping to recapture some of the magic from their 2023 championship run-there were fair questions about whether he could handle the backup point guard duties full-time.
Especially considering what the Nuggets lost. When Russell Westbrook departed in free agency, Denver didn’t replace him with a traditional point guard.
Outside of rookie Jalen Pickett, there wasn’t a true backup to Murray on the roster. The idea was that Brown’s familiarity with the system and his past success leading second units could bridge the gap.
Still, it’s been a rocky start. Injuries have only complicated things-Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon have both missed time-leaving the bench rotation thin and in need of someone who can organize the offense and avoid costly mistakes.
That’s where Brown’s performance on Saturday becomes so intriguing. He didn’t try to do too much.
He didn’t force shots or over-dribble. He simply kept the ball moving, found open teammates, and made smart decisions.
That kind of discipline is exactly what Denver needs from its second unit.
According to earlier reporting, the Nuggets have already been exploring the market for a backup point guard. But after Saturday, it’s worth asking: is the answer already in-house?
Brown’s not going to morph into a high-usage, pick-and-roll maestro overnight. And with Nikola Jokic acting as a de facto point center for much of the game anyway, Denver doesn’t need Brown to be a dominant ball-handler. What they need is someone who can give them clean, composed minutes-someone who can bring the ball up, initiate the offense, and keep the turnovers low.
That’s what Brown did this weekend. And while it’s just one game, it’s the kind of performance that buys him more opportunities in that role. For a team with limited trade assets and championship ambitions, finding internal solutions like this is invaluable.
Whether Brown can sustain it over the long haul is still an open question. But if he can give Denver even a reliable 10-15 minutes a night of steady playmaking, that’s a huge win.
The Nuggets don’t need him to be a star-they just need him to keep the offense on track when the stars are resting. Saturday night, he showed he might be up for the job.