Nuggets season in review: Davon Reed

The Story of the Regular Season:

Davon Reed was not a part of the opening day roster, he joined the Denver Nuggets for his first game of the season on December 4th versus the New York Knicks. Reed continued to surprise many, he ended up playing on 3 separate 10-day contracts this season. On January 9th, Reed was signed to a two-way contract for his contributions to the Nuggets. Davon Reed was not expected to be an impactful player but quickly proved to be a Coach Malone guy and was promptly rewarded with anywhere from DNP’s to 30 minutes played in a single night. Reed’s defense and hustle really stood out from any other Nugget player at times.

Reed came into the season playing for his 3rd team in 3 years. He was not expected to be a contributor to this Nuggets team when the season started but, with the team dealing with injuries and health & safety protocols he worked his way into being a standout rotation player. Reed makes his presence felt on defense all the time and when he is hitting his catch and shoot threes he is a near-perfect 3 and D player.

Did it Translate to the Playoffs?

No, Davon Reed was still signed to a two-way deal when the playoffs started. Not being on a full contract made it so Reed was not eligible to play in the playoffs. While the Nuggets could've used his defensive prowess versus the Golden State Warriors, Reed isn’t a series-changing player. Denver could’ve probably kept it closer with Reed on the court, but they elected to keep Facu Campazzo and Vlatko Cancar over Reed.

Best Moment- Jan 15th versus the Los Angeles Lakers:

Davon Reed had quite a few positive moments to choose from, he might’ve never taken over the game like a star but he always made winning plays. But nothing can top what he did against LeBron James and the Lakers in my opinion. While Reed only tallied 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and one steal, while shooting 57% FG and 75% 3P% he was one of the main reasons Denver won this game. Reed also finished with the second-highest +/- on the team with a + 33.

But, the best moment from this game is on the defensive side of the ball. Reed drew the LeBron matchup on a few separate occasions this game, they all ended badly for James. Bron finished with 25 points on 9/23 shooting, mostly guarded by Davon who also played the 4th most minutes by a Nuggets player. Nothing exemplifies what Davon does better than this clip below, never backing down, showing a fearless side on defense, and best of all hustling.

Season Grade – B+

Reed gets a B+ for the expectations coming into the season compared to what we actually got from him. While Reed wasn't some super impactful player for Denver who played significant minutes every night, he still brought some valuable toughness and grittiness to Denver. Reed scored a career-high 17 points this season, he broke a career-high in every stat possible except steals during his 2022 campaign in Denver. Reed still has a long way to go if he wants to be a starter or big-time minutes guy in this league but, he is on the right track.

What does the future hold for Davon Reed?

Reed will need a new contract this offseason since his aforementioned two-way deal expires before the beginning of next season. I personally would love to see Reed back in Denver next year, I think he showed a lot of promise offensively and defensively and he would fill a hole Denver needs filled. There could also be a few other teams interested in Reed as 3 and D wings have become a premium in the current NBA. I doubt Reed will take another two-way contract as it is obvious he can provide valuable minutes to an NBA team, but it is not impossible that if he can't get a full contract somewhere he’ll return to hopefully play himself into a full-time contract. Reed proved last season that he can hang in this league and his talents can definitely be used somewhere if Denver isn't the place. I do firmly hope that Denver IS the place though.