As the NBA season is just a few days away, teams are still making some last-minute moves to fill out their rosters.
Last season, the Denver Nuggets gave former MVP Russell Westbrook a chance to revitalize his career, and it worked.
He recently signed with the Sacramento Kings, meaning the Nuggets should look for another backup guard.
They wasted no time signing 6-foot-1 point guard James Akinjo to an Exhibit 10 contract.
Akinjo was a key player for the Wisconsin Herd, the Milwaukee Bucks' G League team, last season. He also played for the New York Knicks G League team, the Westchester Knicks.
In 25 games, he averaged 15.7 points per game,8.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals.
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This offseason, the Nuggets made some significant roster changes, most noticeably trading away Michael Porter Jr.
In return, they got Cameron Johnson from the Brooklyn Nets. They also signed Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valančiūnas.
Backup guard has always been a bit of a struggle for the Nuggets until Westbrook, but now that he is not part of the roster, Akinjo will have the opportunity to log his first-ever NBA minutes and fill that role.
Any player would be lucky to be on the same team as Nikola Jokić, but as a guard looking to earn a roster spot, you couldn’t have asked for a better situation.
Akinjo may be able to establish a similar connection to the one Jamal Murray and Jokić have.
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