Denver believes in Zeke Nnaji and will lean into the fourth-year big this season, playing him as Nikola Jokic’s primary backup at the five.
The Nuggets decided to lock Nnaji up, and the sides agreed to a four-year, $32 million extension of his rookie contract, a story broken by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and since confirmed by multiple Nuggets writers.
The contract has a player option in the fourth year. This is an extension of Nnaji’s rookie contract — a deal that had to get done by Monday — meaning he will make $4.3 million this season, and then his salary will jump starting next season. This seems like a fair deal for both sides. Backup center is not a position where teams will spend big, but this gets Nnaji more money and the Nuggets some stability at the spot.
Nnaji can finish at the rim, where he took 52% of his shots last season, but tried to be more of a floor spacer, taking one three a game and shooting just 26.2% on those. Where Nnaji makes a difference is on the other end of the court, he has evolved into a versatile defensive big and a plus defender.
Nnaji will be part of a second unit different from the veteran group that helped win a title last season (Bruce Brown and Jeff Green are both gone). The Nuggets are leaning heavily on young players Nnaji, Christian Braun, rookie Julian Strawther, and veteran guards Reggie Jackson and Justin Holiday. We know the Nuggets have one of the best duos in the league with Jokic and Jamal Murray, and they bring back the entire championship starting five, but the bench will be different and have to step up if the Nuggets are going to repeat. Nnaji will be a big part of that, and now not only this season but for years to come.
