Arron Afflalo seems to speak in whispers.
Put him on a team with an international luminary, an NBA Finals MVP, dudes named “Birdman” and “J.R. Swish” and, of course, the persona that is Kenyon Martin, and he gets overlooked.
But in this playoff series against the Jazz, which continues with tonight’s Game 2, the Nuggets’ Afflalo is huuuuuuuge (that’s seven-u huge). Why? Because he defends Deron Williams, the Utah all-star point guard.
Williams had 26 points and 11 assists in Saturday’s Game 1, but his plus-minus rating was minus-19. He shot 8-for-15 from the field and had two turnovers.
“Williams is the key, he’s like Chris Paul last year (in the first round),” Nuggets acting coach Adrian Dantley said after today’s shootaround. “We’ve got to do a better job on him.”
Asked about Afflalo’s defense in Game 1, Denver forward Carmelo Anthony said: “He was just being aggressive, picking up full court, trying to make it hard for the Jazz guys. At times, Deron Williams was getting it and going full court, by himself. We’ll live with that. If he wants to take it upon himself to beat us by himself, we’ll live with that.”
Denver point guard Chauncey Billups expects Williams to be even more aggressive, “but we’ll be more aggressive. … Arron is just so active. He’s a long defender, rangy, will contest every shot, will be there with you every time, unless he gets hit by those screens.”
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, from a game-planning standpoint, understands that Afflalo can be very dangerous from the offensive end, too, especially shooting corner 3-pointers.
“He doesn’t make many mistakes, he plays within what they’re trying to do,” Sloan said. “They want him to shoot 3s, and he’s worked very hard. He’s really improved himself from last year. He’s a solid guy.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
