Is a P. J. Dozier Denver Nuggets reunion in the works?
May 3, 2022, 1:55 PM
The Denver Nuggets traded P. J. Dozier as part of the package to acquire Bryn Forbes earlier this year, but the shooting guard never played for his new team because he was already out for the year with a torn ACL, so he was waived.
Dozier was spotted behind the Nuggets bench during the playoffs. Now PJ’s father, Perry Dozier, has quote tweeted a story where Nikola Jokic talks about the team missing Dozier. The elder Dozier said, “Looking forward to PJ Dozier’s return! Bigger and Better!”
Looking forward to PJ Dozier return! Bigger and Better!🙏🏾 https://t.co/D77nXi1HJI
— Perry Dozier (@PDozierSr) May 3, 2022
“I thought even in the start of the season, like, we have what we have,” Jokic said after the season-ending game five loss to the Warriors. “We cannot think, oh, this guy is going to come back, this guy is going to come back. People forget we lost P.J. P.J. was injured. I think he was a big part of our team. The guy who is 6-foot-6, he can handle the ball, guard multiple positions. He knows our system. I think we miss him. We miss Mike (Porter Jr. and Jamal (Murray.) Yes, it’s Mike and Jamal the most, but I think we missed him a lot, P.J.”
Dozier hasn’t played since his injury in November. In his 105-game NBA career out of South Carolina, 97 have been played with Denver. As a Nugget, Dozier has scored 6.7 points, grabbed three rebounds and added two assists a night. He has shot 32% and can guard the perimeter decently well.
The biggest question for the Nuggets is; will they want to take a risk on a player coming off an ACL injury? Dozier may not even be ready for opening night or crack the rotation by the end of the season. Conversely, the Nuggets have been loyal to guys in the past and Dozier does fill a need, particularly if Will Barton gets traded or if Austin Rivers moves on. Dozier would likely only cost a minimum contract, and given him hanging around the team during the playoffs; he seems comfortable in Denver.
Dozier played 10 minutes a night over 12 games for the Nuggets in the 2019-20 playoffs.
Always good to have @Dozier_Kid in the house. Especially during a playoff W💙 pic.twitter.com/zv5wPUNl3W
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 25, 2022
