The Nuggets are low and not because of the coronavirus. The Colorado state team has seen its squad reduced with a series of physical problems, all in the same positions, which are forcing Mike Malone, a coach who is inherently squared when it comes to moving from his approaches, to making changes in the rotation. But the NBA does not stop and the shaker is shaking too much, the main victim being the Argentine base Facu Campazzo, a newcomer.
Last week fell Gary Harris, the main bodyguard. The alternate escort, P.J. Dozier, it was also low. This opened a window of opportunity for Campazzo, who is contributing from the bench with some inconsistency and in functions that he was not used to at Real Madrid: unchecking to shoot triples and little else. It has been difficult for Cordoba to adapt to the NBA despite the fact that Malone and the rest of the coaching and management staff were aware of its quality and possibilities. The two gaps originated in the rotation raised to Monte Morris, who acts as a substitute base and is one of the trusted men to act as a microwave in the second and third quarters of matches, to form the outside pair with Jamal Murray. Facu, therefore, remained in command when he left.
The game against the Jazz last Sunday was a relief for him, since he was able to demonstrate something in attack that they had not left before, with so much competition and different guidelines that he had. The bad for Campazzo has come later, with that hole already made. Against the Lakers he made a bad gesture on a counterattack and retired after two minutes due to a sore knee. Against the Kings, the worst suspicion for him has been confirmed: that someone take advantage of his loss to raise minutes or directly the position.
R.J. Hampton is the man who go after the Campazzo minutes. In the last game, with the Argentine not being discharged to play despite getting hot in the knee to try to force, Hampton was more than correct: 7 points and 10 rebounds, almost a double-double in 28 minutes of action. There is another exterior, Markus Howard, and two more, the Slovenian Vlatko Cancar and the South Sudanese Bol Bol, which are also present as spare parts, but it is Hampton the one who most endangers Campazzo’s position in the rotation because it is more ‘1’ than the others. He is also a rookie, picked 24th in the 2020 Draft, and also has recent professional basketball experience coming from the oceanic NBL (in his case the New Zealand Breakers). Have 20 years, nine less than Campazzo, so the real bet for the future is him. Of the first 16 games, he only jumped onto the court in 9 and accumulated 22 minutes in them. He was the fourth baseman in the running, with zero impact, and now he becomes the second if the others do not recover. It is a subject of exhibition, not of quality. The season is long and Facu has the experience to reverse the situation and be able to shine, but bad fortune has curtailed his first opportunity to claim a claim in a team so cutting edge and balanced that it gives little respite.
