Denver Nuggets Must Retain Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in NBA Free Agency

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has developed into one of the NBA’s premier two-way players at the shooting guard position. He is often overshadowed in a stacked Denver Nuggets’ starting lineup, but the role he plays is extremely important to the Nuggets’ scheme. He fills the gaps in the areas where the other starters aren’t as elite.

Caldwell-Pope was acquired by the Nuggets during the 2022 offseason, which was a trade that completely changed the Nuggets’ championship chances by bringing in someone with a championship pedigree. He quickly signed a two-year extension with the team, which included a player option for the 2024-25 season.

Heading into this summer, Caldwell-Pope is expected to decline his player option and become an unrestricted free agent. If that is the case, the Nuggets should do everything in their power to convince him to stay with the organization.

Caldwell-Pope was a huge part of the Nuggets’ championship run just a season ago, and if the Nuggets want to extend their championship window, keeping him around should be their top priority heading into the offseason.

Incredible Fit in Starting Lineup

Caldwell-Pope is the perfect shooting guard fit alongside the other Nuggets’ starters

During the 2022 offseason, the Nuggets sent Will Barton and Monte Morris to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith. It became evident fairly quickly into the season that the Nuggets won the trade by a long shot.

Caldwell-Pope slid into the starting shooting guard position for the Nuggets and fit like a glove next to the other starters. The chemistry among the starting lineup was already high, and his addition didn’t affect that at all.

Caldwell-Pope’s role has been a 3-and-D player since his arrival in Denver. The spacing he provides on offense combined with his elite on-ball defense creates a perfect match alongside Nikola Jokić and the rest of the starters.

The Nuggets’ starting five was elite this past season, ranking at the top of all lineups in almost every statistical category during the 48 games they played together. In some categories, their lead in totals over the second place teams is insanely large, including in points where they scored 399 more points than the second placed lineup and almost 700 more than the team in third.

It is obvious their starting lineup fits together like a glove, as with Caldwell-Pope, they optimized their starting lineup. Without Caldwell-Pope, the Nuggets’ starting lineup would still be great, but not the elite machine that it has been the past two seasons.

His seamless fit alongside the other starters begins with his selflessness. He is often the fifth option on the offensive side of the ball, and he has not once complained about the amount of touches he receives. Instead, he has optimized those touches with incredible efficiency.

Nuggets’ head coach Michael Malone had this to say about Caldwell-Pope after a game against the New York Knicks back in March via New York Basketball on X:

Malone often praises his players, so for him to praise Caldwell-Pope isn’t a surprise. But it shows his appreciation for his shooting guard’s energy and consistency every game. Caldwell-Pope has become a player that Malone trusts completely and can rely on.

A Perfect 3-and-D Player

His combination of a three-point shot with his elite defense is rare

Caldwell-Pope has consistently been a plus defender in his career, but during the last few seasons, he has been a borderline all-defense defender. Although he has never officially made an all-defensive team, his impact aligns with some of the players that have made the list in recent years.

Although Caldwell-Pope isn’t the strongest or fastest at his size, his combination of the two along with his endless energy and effort allow him to thrive on the defensive side of the ball.

During their last two playoff runs, Caldwell-Pope has spent time guarding Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, D’Angelo Russell, Jimmy Butler and Mike Conley, all of whom provide unique challenges that he stepped up to the plate for.

On the opposite side of the ball, Caldwell-Pope has become one of the best shooters in the league in recent years, which is extremely valuable as three-point shooting has become the most important trait for a player to have on offense in recent history.

Luckily for the Nuggets, when they traded for Caldwell-Pope, they knew they were already receiving an elite three-point shooter. Since arriving in Denver, his shooting has only improved, likely because he gets so many open looks playing alongside four players who receive the ball more often.

As Caldwell-Pope’s career continues, he has begun to rely more on his three-point shot, but it works extremely well within the Nuggets’ system. His acceptance of his role on offense is a massive reason the Nuggets have been so dominant offensively over the last two years. Allowing them to have a 41.5 percent shooter who is their fifth option on offense gives them an advantage that not many teams have, and allows their offense to thrive.

Caldwell-Pope’s former teammate, LeBron James, had this to say about him via Katy Winge of Altitude Sports:

An underrated part of Caldwell-Pope’s game is his availability. Outside the shortened 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, he has played in at least 74 games every single year. For a team to be able to rely on a player to be available over 90 percent of the time is a rarity in today’s NBA.

Caldwell-Pope has clearly made a massive impact during his two seasons in a Nuggets uniform, and it would be silly for Denver to let him walk in free agency. The two were a perfect match for one another, and the Nuggets should do everything in their power to keep him on the roster.

Related

Villain LeBron: Best Moments With the Miami Heat

Back-to-back NBA titles and Finals MVPs, one of the greatest win streaks in NBA history, groundbreaking records. Miami-LeBron was a movie.