DeMar DeRozan still finding his way in Nuggets’ offense

DeMar DeRozan can score. Nobody needs preseason basketball to prove that.

The question for the Nuggets is how quickly they can make his style fit with everything else they already do.

Bennett Durando of The Denver Post noted that DeRozan’s first three preseason appearances have looked somewhat awkward as Denver tries to blend his isolation-heavy game with an offense built around movement, cutting and Nikola Jokic.

DeRozan missed all four of his shots Sunday against Chicago, though the shooting itself wasn’t really the issue. At times, Denver simply struggled to maintain its normal flow while playing through him.

That’s not exactly shocking. DeRozan has spent most of his career creating offense with the ball in his hands and working from the midrange.

The Nuggets are asking him to provide scoring and playmaking off the bench without completely changing the identity of the group around him. Without a doubt, that may take a while.

Durando noted that DeRozan did have some encouraging playmaking moments Sunday, including an assist to Jokic through traffic and a drive-and-kick opportunity in transition. The Nuggets are also still figuring out which combinations work best around him.

So yes, it looks a little clunky right now. It’s also October. Denver didn’t sign DeRozan because it expected him to become a different player overnight. The job is figuring out how to make the player he already is fit.