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Denver Nuggets forward Renaldo Balkman is an energy player. At 6-8 and around 210 pounds, he has no clear position. He’s not a shooting guard. And although he hits the boards and bangs like a power forward, he’s too small to really play the four-spot. Size-wise, he’s a small forward. So, even if he can’t shoot, from now on that’s what the Nuggets will consider him.
Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports:
This year, George Karl is making what he thinks is “a pretty drastic switch,” but it could be fruitful — Balkman is now a small forward.
Makes sense. No, Balkman can’t shoot like most small forwards, but as far as size, he’ll be a perfect fit defensively. And with Linas Kleiza no longer on the team, that opens up some minutes behind Carmelo Anthony — though it’s possible Karl could, at times, play a point guard alongside J.R. Smith and Arron Afflalo.
“We’re a little excited about seeing Balkman at small forward,” Karl said. “We’re going to give him a lot of minutes there in training camp. We would like, as we cut the roster down, to give him 15-20 minutes in the games at the two or three position.
Regardless of what position he’s playing, Balkman will do what he does, which is hustle and try to fill in the blanks and make things easier for teammates who have better-refined basketball skills.
