Bruce Brown. John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Nuggets may miss this player as postseason run continues

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 5/4/24

Bruce Brown left the Denver Nuggets during the offseason. He was a core part of Mike Malone's championship rotation, coming off the bench in 20 postseason games for Denver last season and averaging 12 points, 1.9 assists and 4 rebounds on 51.1% shooting from the field.

During a recent appearance on the "ALL THE SMOKE" podcast, two-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo questioned whether the Nuggets would miss Brown's production and impact.

“They are missing a big piece I believe in Bruce Brown,” Rondo said. “We’ll see how it works out because I think the Celtics did the same thing, we thought we could replace Tony Allen. It was like, ‘Yeah, we can get back.' Obviously (if) Kevin (Garnett) doesn’t get hurt, what if?’ But those (are the) types of guys you can’t just replace and think they aren’t as valued whether it may be on the court or off the court. Those guys are key pieces to championships.”

Brown spent the first half of the season with the Indiana Pacers before being traded to the Toronto Raptors. As such, he is watching the playoffs from home.

Nevertheless, the Nuggets may miss his skillset as they get deeper into the postseason. High-level rotation players are hard to find, especially ones that have championship experience.

Denver is widely expected to come out of the Western Conference and make it to the NBA Finals. It defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round, ultimately costing Darvin Ham his job. Now, the Minnesota Timberwolves stand in their way of making the conference finals.

Malone's team must run a gauntlet to earn an opportunity to retain its title. Rondo's claim will be ignored if the Nuggets find a way to be crowned back-to-back champions. However, if the Nuggets stumble, questions may be asked about the team's inability to retain Brown after he helped them to a championship.

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