Tamar Bates' Fit with the Denver Nuggets: The Extra Point

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Missouri basketball guard Tamar Bates didn't hear his named called in the 2025 NBA Draft, but was signed to a two-way contract by the Denver Nuggets in the minutes following. Bates, along with Missouri teammate Caleb Grill, are the sixth and seventh Tigers currently in the NBA.

Bates' landing in Denver makes sense, given the Nuggets owners (the Kroenke family) has strong ties to Missouri. This isn't the first time the Nuggets have picked up a former Tiger under the Kroenke's, as they selected Michael Porter Jr. with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Likewise to Porter Jr., the addition of Bates is schemed around three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, who led the Nuggets to a championship in 2023. The Nuggets have spent the last half-decade trying to surround Jokic with smart cutters and efficient shooters who excel playing off the ball —boxes that Bates' game check off.

In the pre-draft process, he drew comparisons to former Nugget Will Barton, who averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in Jokic's 2021-2022 MVP campaign. If Bates were to play a similar role to Barton, it'd include plenty of quick backdoor cuts, a two-man game with Jokic and spot up 3-pointers.

In two seasons with the Tigers, Bates shot 39.2 percent from 3-point range — a mark that would rank sixth highest among Nuggets players in the 2024-2025 regular season, and second-highest in the playoffs. Denver's bench has severely lacked offensive depth in the years following the 2023 title run, so Bates makes for a worthy swing on adding firepower in the deep rotation.

An area that Bates struggled with in his college career was decision making, as he averaged just 1 assist compared to 1.4 turnovers per game, a concerning mark for a guard. Luckily, he'll be playing alongside the best decision-maker in the league in Jokic, whose gravity and vision has been leading to wide-open looks for his teammates for years.

Plenty of players who've been regarded as poor decision makers have excelled when sharing the court with Jokic (see Russell Westbrook and Porter Jr. last season). Bates sharing the court with Jokic means he'll have less offensive responsibilities than he did in his Missouri days, and less opportunities to make mistakes, maximizing his strength of efficient scoring.

The Nuggets have 12 rostered players on standardized contracts, while Bates signed a two-way, which means he'll be splitting time between the main squad and the G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. There, Bates can improve the on-ball elements of his game like the aforementioned decision making, along with operating dribble-handoffs, something the Nuggets offense centers around.

The Nuggets' offseason is just beginning, as they'll likely be active in both the trade and free agency markets. Given that the roster isn't complete, it's hard to predict Bates' avenue to getting minutes without knowing who his competition is. His minutes will primarily come as a backup wing, meaning that for now, he'll be competing with Julian Strawther and whichever veteran free agents the Nuggets may add.

Even in a loaded Western Conference, the Nuggets are trying to compete for another championship, and the signing of Bates is a step in that direction in their eyes. Bates' experience and veteran leadership signaled to many contenders that he may be ready to contribute to winning now, and Denver likely views him as such.