Julian Strawther has breakout game for Denver Nuggets
On Monday, Julian Strawther played with the level of confidence many Gonzaga men's basketball fans had grown accustomed to seeing from the Las Vegas native.
Strawther, the 29th overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Draft, helped lead the charge in a double-digit comeback victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. With Jamal Murray out of the lineup due to injury, Strawther received the green light from his coach Michael Malone, and the 21-year-old rookie didn't disappoint.
Strawther exploded for a career-best 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, including 5-for-9 from deep, in 19 minutes of action off the bench to help the Nuggets beat the Pelicans, 134-116. He became the first rookie in NBA history to log 20 or more points and have five or more triples in less than 20 minutes, setting an awfully high benchmark for himself moving forward. But with his assertiveness in Denver's offensive system, there could be many more big nights in Strawther's future.
Many were familiar with Strawther's prowess as a 3-point shooter, but with that comes a level of poise and focus that doesn't waiver easily. Prior to Monday, he logged double-digit minutes off the bench for the first time against the Minnesota Timberwolves, finishing with five points on 1-for-6 shooting from 3-point range. Strawther didn't play the following outing against Dallas, but that obviously didn't shake his confidence heading into Monday's game.
One important quality as a shooter is confidence, and based on his career night, Strawther has that in bunches. In fact, his fourth triple of the night was reminiscent of a 3-pointer he knocked down against TCU in the NCAA Tournament last season — and in the same arena nonetheless.
In Murray's absence, Strawther's opportunities and role could continue to increase with the Nuggets, who have won seven of eight games to start the 2023-24 season. He was the focal point on Denver's second unit throughout the preseason. Given his ability to read and react to defenses, he's a perfect fit next to Nikola Jokic, arguably the league's most unstoppable player right now.
The Nuggets have quite an abundance of young talent on the bench with Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and Zeke Nnaji all needing minutes. Malone will have tough decisions to make regarding his rotation moving forward, but if Strawther is truly the confident marksman he showcased Monday, he'll need to stay ready for whatever his role may be if he's going to thrive for the reigning world champions as a rookie.
