DEN

2025-26 Season

ZEKE NNAJI

Denver Nuggets | Forward-Center | 6-10
Zeke Nnaji
3.7 PPG
2.6 RPG
0.5 APG
12.0 MPG
-0.3 Impact

Nnaji produces at an average rate for a 12-minute workload.

NET IMPACT BREAKDOWN
Every stat, every credit, every cost — per game average
-0.3
Scoring +2.2
Points 3.7 PPG × +1.00 = +3.7
Missed 2PT 0.8/g × -0.78 = -0.6
Missed 3PT 0.8/g × -0.87 = -0.7
Missed FT 0.2/g × -1.00 = -0.2
Creation +1.1
Assists 0.5/g × +0.50 = +0.2
Off. Rebounds 0.7/g × +1.26 = +0.9
Turnovers -1.0
Turnovers 0.5/g × -1.95 = -1.0
Hustle & Effort +1.7
Contested Shots 3.4/g × +0.20 = +0.7
Deflections 0.9/g × +0.65 = +0.6
Loose Balls 0.2/g × +0.60 = +0.1
Screen Assists 1.1/g × +0.30 = +0.3
Raw Impact +4.0
Baseline (game-average expected) −4.3
Net Impact
-0.3
48th pctl vs Forwards

About this model: Net Impact can't measure floor spacing, help defense rotations, or playmaking gravity — so wings and guards are slightly undervalued vs bigs. How Net Impact works

SKILL DNA

Percentile rank vs 227 Forwards with 10+ games

Scoring 13th
4.6 PPG
Efficiency 60th
57.9% TS
Playmaking 6th
0.6 APG
Rebounding 30th
3.2 RPG
Rim Protection 77th
0.18/min
Hustle 74th
0.12/min
Shot Creation 50th
0% pullup
TO Discipline 62th
0.04/min

THE SEASON SO FAR

Zeke Nnaji’s opening stretch of the season was defined by a maddening inability to string together a complete two-way performance. Even when he finally found his shooting touch, the defensive floor completely fell out from under him. Look at his 13-point performance on 01/02 vs CLE. Despite the scoring punch, he posted a -1.4 impact score because abysmal defensive positioning (-7.4 defense) bled points on the other end. Conversely, his most valuable outing required almost no offensive production at all. On 01/04 vs BKN, Nnaji scored just 4 points but generated a staggering +10.0 impact score by anchoring the interior with elite rim-deterrence (+6.6 defense) and active hustle (+2.1). Yet, when handed a rare starting assignment on 11/19 vs NOP, he vanished entirely. Playing 27 minutes, he missed all three of his shots, finishing with a -0.2 impact score as total offensive invisibility canceled out his otherwise excellent defensive effort.

A rapid descent from a high-impact rotation piece to an end-of-bench afterthought defined Zeke Nnaji's midseason stretch. Early on, he looked like a massive difference-maker, especially on 01/05 vs PHI where he dropped 21 points and generated a +12.6 impact score by contesting everything at the rim. He even managed a staggering +15.8 impact on 01/07 vs BOS despite shooting a rough 3-for-9 from the floor. That elite rating stemmed entirely from his ability to dominate the margins through sheer hustle (+7.2) and second-chance creation rather than scoring. But as his volume spiked, his actual value plummeted. When given a starting nod on 01/23 vs MIL, he grabbed 12 rebounds and scored 11 points, yet managed only a meager +1.3 impact score. Clanking a barrage of jumpers and forcing poor shots completely erased the value of his double-double. By March, his erratic focus and offensive invisibility relegated him to garbage-time irrelevance.

IMPACT TIMELINE

Game-by-game performance vs average. Green = above average, red = below.

PATTERNS

Boom-or-bust player. Nnaji's impact swings wildly relative to his average — some nights dominant, others invisible. Scoring varies by ~4 points per game.

Middle-of-the-road efficiency — shoots 45%+ from the field in 57% of games. Not automatic, but not a problem either.

Good defender on his best nights, but it comes and goes. Some games Nnaji locks in defensively, others he gets picked apart.

Flat trajectory all season — first-half impact +0.1, second-half -0.7. No major shifts, which fits with the overall steadiness.

MATCHUP HISTORY

Based on 75 games with tracking data. Shows who guarded this player on offense and who he guarded on defense, with their shooting stats in those matchups.

ON OFFENSE: WHO GUARDED HIM

His shooting stats against each primary defender this season

M. Turner 44.4 poss
FG% 20.0%
3P% 25.0%
PPP 0.16
PTS 7
Z. Williamson 43.5 poss
FG% 0.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.0
PTS 0
L. James 29.0 poss
FG% 33.3%
3P% 50.0%
PPP 0.1
PTS 3
B. Portis 24.5 poss
FG% 66.7%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.24
PTS 6
G. Antetokounmpo 22.1 poss
FG% 66.7%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.18
PTS 4
M. Bagley III 21.2 poss
FG% 0.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.0
PTS 0
A. Bona 21.0 poss
FG% 75.0%
3P% 100.0%
PPP 0.43
PTS 9
Y. Missi 19.8 poss
FG% 0.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.0
PTS 0
J. Allen 19.6 poss
FG% 0.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.1
PTS 2
D. Sharpe 17.6 poss
FG% 50.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.11
PTS 2

ON DEFENSE: WHO HE GUARDED

How opponents shot when he was the primary defender. Lower FG% = better defense.

Z. Williamson 48.4 poss
FG% 45.5%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.21
PTS 10
L. James 34.7 poss
FG% 60.0%
3P% 50.0%
PPP 0.26
PTS 9
M. Turner 34.6 poss
FG% 60.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.17
PTS 6
G. Antetokounmpo 32.8 poss
FG% 20.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.3
PTS 10
A. Bona 26.9 poss
FG% 0.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.0
PTS 0
D. Queen 25.3 poss
FG% 100.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.16
PTS 4
M. Bagley III 22.1 poss
FG% 80.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.36
PTS 8
D. Sharpe 17.3 poss
FG% 33.3%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.12
PTS 2
N. Claxton 16.9 poss
FG% 50.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.12
PTS 2
J. Allen 16.7 poss
FG% 50.0%
3P% 0.0%
PPP 0.12
PTS 2

SEASON STATS

48
Games
3.7
PPG
2.6
RPG
0.5
APG
0.4
SPG
0.4
BPG
47.1
FG%
26.5
3P%
77.3
FT%
12.0
MPG

GAME LOG

48 games played