Behind The Nuggets' Development Plan With PJ Hall
From Grand Rapids To Mile High, PJ Hall is doing the work
PJ Hall is doing the work.
Hall is one of Denver’s two-way contracts this season. Hall has played 14 games for 42 minutes total this season. He has scored 15 points, grabbed 14 boards, and made six buckets.1
What Hall does represent is another in Denver’s progress towards building a real pipeline. While fans dream of trades for major veteran contributors, the Nuggets have started building a real development plan after being the last team into the G-League waters.
There are signs that Hall is proof of that developing depth.
Grand Rapids Gold GM and Nuggets VP of Basketball Operations Ben Tenzer said what drew the Nuggets to Hall as an undrafted free agent out of Clemson were things that don’t show up on the boxscore.
“His competitiveness and toughness stand out No.1. He’s a great basketball player and we think he has a real chance to make it in the NBA. If you think about his game and his ability to stretch the floor, there’s real potential there. He’s always going to be great inside.
A GOLD STANDARD
I asked Hall this week what his experience in Grand Rapids has been like.
“Cold,” Hall joked. “It’s cold up there, I can tell you that much.”
But Hall had nothing but good things to say about his experience with the Gold.
“It’s nice to be a part of an organization that takes a lot of pride in its G-League organization,” Hall told me. “(President) Steve Jbara does a great job interacting with fans and making sure the team has what it needs.”
“It’s honestly been a blessing being down there.’
One of the real boosts of G-League time is the individual development time you’ll get with coaches instead of with the main club due to travel and the needs of veterans for recuperation during the season.
Hall credits Rapids assistant coach Logan Quinn (former Southern Arkansas Muleriders head coach) and Littleton, Colorado’s own Riley Welch for the progress he’s made and attention he’s gotten there.
“(Head coach and Nuggets legend) Andre Miller has taught me a lot even though I don’t work out for player development with him,” Hall said. “He’s given me great insight and information to help me move along with my career.”
“It’s been so great having a seasoned NBA vet as a head coach.”
The Nuggets front office and coaching staff both receive regular reports on Hall and the other Gold players’ progress throughout the season.
DIFFERENT WORLDS
As a two-way player, Hall shares time between Grand Rapids and Denver. It’s a totally different experience with totally different goals for him between the two places.
“It’s totally different worlds,” Hall said. “Down there I’m playing 40 minutes a game, trying to get better and trying to stay in shape. Here I get to learn from the best players in the world. It’s a tale of two cites, best of both worlds situation for me.”
And Hall is showing out in the G-League minutes he’s getting, averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds per game.
Tenzer told me this week that the goals for PJ were fairly simple on assignment.
“Just going and playing a lot,” Tenzer said. “That’s the tricky thing with our rotation with the Nuggets, just finding time to get in the game. We prefer to get players in development playing in games and play a lot of minutes.”
For a rookie brought into an NBA team that has championship aspirations, he’s getting a crash course on how tough the league is and also the standard that Denver sets with both its play and expectations every night.
PJ Hall is not the Nuggets’ savior at backup center.2
But for a Nuggets team that regardless of what balance they need to find between young talent development and veteran help, Hall represents what the organization is trying to do: give players a chance to get better so they can reinforce a team with the best player in the world and a chance ever year to win the title.
To contribute, you have to put the work in.
And Hall is doing the work.
That’s actually a pretty good game if you look at the 42 minutes as one game.
Or maybe he is, who knows, the future is unknowable and people were mad for a while that Jay Huff had a good month in Memphis.
Hi Matt, good read. On locked on Nuggets you teased that you were also writing about Jalen Picketts “climb back from hell”. Is that going to be a separate piece, or is that shelved for right now?