Denver's Wing Rotation Hits Critical Mass as Alpha Diallo Ruled Out
Underdog NBA reported that Diallo was listed out for Saturday's game.
The Denver Nuggets are officially running out of healthy bodies. Underdog NBA reported that Alpha Diallo has been ruled out for Saturday's matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans thanks to a sprained right wrist, turning Denver's wing rotation into a total guessing game.
Diallo tweaked the wrist during Thursday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He actually started the second half of that game just to cover for an injured Cam Johnson, which means the Nuggets are now officially in the business of replacing their replacements.
This is the exact type of injury report that sends fantasy managers and prop bettors scrambling to refresh their apps. When a team is down this many rotation pieces, the minutes have to go somewhere, and it usually involves guys you haven't thought about since a random Tuesday in July.
For context, Johnson is already shelved with an ankle issue, and Spencer Jones is sitting out with a bad hamstring. That leaves a massive void on the perimeter for a Denver squad trying to keep pace in the Western Conference.
Someone is going to have to eat those available minutes against New Orleans. DeMar DeRozan will likely have to shoulder an even heavier offensive burden, which is a tall order on a Saturday night when the defense knows exactly where the ball is going.
Meanwhile, guys like Trevon Brazile and Tyus Jones are staring down a serious bump in playing time. If you are eyeing the board for this weekend, factor in that Denver is going to be leaning hard on their emergency depth chart just to get through four quarters.