Nuggets Summer League impressions: Trey Alexander standing out, Jalen Pickett struggling

Now that the first weekend of NBA Summer League is over, games throughout this week will probably feature less and less of the key rotation-caliber players.

That certainly applies to the Nuggets. Standout guard Julian Strawther was in street clothes Tuesday at Denver’s 80-66 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, and he’ll likely be done for the duration of the team’s stay in Las Vegas.

Here are three takeaways from the loss as the Nuggets fell to 0-3 at Summer League 2024.

Trey Alexander could be this year’s impact two-way contract

Alexander has comfortably been Denver’s second-best option in Las Vegas behind Strawther. And with Strawther resting Tuesday’s game, the new two-way player from Creighton got an opportunity to shine as a lead guard. Alexander went for 18 points and eight rebounds, bringing his Summer League averages to 16 and 5.3.

The rookie plays with good spatial instinct and operates at his own pace with the ball. He’s knocking down 3s off the dribble and the catch. He’s getting to the line when he attacks the rim. He said on the broadcast Tuesday that Denver knew the Hornets would be in a lot of drop coverage, allowing him to prioritize getting to his confident midrange jumper.

After three steady performances — starting when he came off the bench last Friday — Alexander is shooting 50% on 10.7 field goal attempts per game and 46% on 4.3 outside attempts per game. Seeing as Michael Malone was already impressed by his week at mini camp before the trip to Vegas, this summer might be tracking toward Alexander becoming a valuable regular-season role player.

Jalen Pickett’s Summer League struggles

On a less encouraging note, Denver’s sophomore point guard is still waiting for a breakout game at Cox Pavilion. Pickett is now shooting 5 for 22 at his second Summer League for an average of 4.7 points after a 3-for-9 outing Tuesday.

He displayed his skill at scoring and distributing out of post-ups a bit Tuesday, but he’s not accessing the paint enough to be consistently effective. There have also been a few instances of him getting beat off the dribble at the defensive end of the floor this week.

Pickett is clearly a gifted passer, but the other dimensions of his game with the ball need to improve in order for him to optimize that.

Why the Nuggets are 0-3

The lack of size on Denver’s Summer League roster has been glaring, especially since DaRon Holmes’ season-ending Achilles tear last Friday. Opponents immediately started taking advantage of the Nuggets on the offensive glass after that, and with two-way big man PJ Hall getting the game off Tuesday, the problem was exacerbated.

Charlotte grabbed 18 offensive rebounds for 18 second-chance points, also outscoring Denver in the paint by 12. Parker Braun, the tallest guy on the roster, was the only player who ended the day with a positive plus-minus, in 10 minutes.

Holmes’ injury took the air out of this year’s Summer League festivities throughout the Nuggets’ organization, and now they’re going to miss the playoffs in Las Vegas. The primary goal at this point should be avoiding further injuries.

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