3 potential landing spots for Hawks veteran after GM Landry Fields' comments

Hawks’ Cody Zeller could make sense for recent champions

The Denver Nuggets, like the Lakers, do not jump off the page as a team in immediate need of center help. They, of course, have All-Everything center Nikola Jokic operating as their hub, which takes roughly 34 minutes per game.

Like the Cavaliers, though, the Nuggets’ depth behind Jokic a too questionable for comfort, and that is not a knock against who they have on hand.

Zeke Nnaji is an ascending player at 23 years old. 

But he is undersized at 6-foot-9. The Nuggets also have veteran DeAndre Jordan to fill the role of size. But he is 36 years old and has not reached the 40-appearance mark in either of his two seasons in Denver.

The Nuggets do have 30-year-old Dario Saric, who can log minutes at both power forward and center. But Zeller could represent an opportunity to solidify an experienced frontcourt duo.

Denver struggles in many areas when Jokic sits. But rebounding may be one of the easiest for them to solve and Zeller happens to thrive specifically where missing Jokic hurts the Nuggets.

Zeller has ranked in the 77th percentile or better in offensive rebounding percentage in every season going back to 2019-20, per Cleaning The Glass. He would even elevate the Nuggets in that respect, with Jokic ranking in the 29th percentile in ORB% last season.