By Jeff Morton, Mile High Sports
The impact the 6th year center has had on this 2017 Denver Nuggets squad is more like a manager. A guy who can set the tone by setting a great pick at the top of the circle or a hustle play including chase down blocks and showing sheer effort on plays he may not end up making but displaying what you should do with a display of effort. Plumlee makes sure everyone understands what you need to do on defense before you go out and execute.
Guys like Plumlee are hard to box in with advanced metrics because their impact is largely felt in ways you can’t apply easily with numbers. He is someone who – through speaking out and setting an example – has set himself apart in a really unique position to being indispensable in his role without producing those numbers that demonstrate on the page. Everyone who watches knows he is having a great impact but they can’t put it into a neat box.
That is perfectly fine and is desperately needed.