J.J. Hickson will come off the bench Tuesday versus the Blazers.

Hickson will come off the bench Tuesday versus the Blazers.

Analysis:

Only three of Hickson's 55 appearances have been as a reserve in his first campaign with the Nuggets. If he experiences the expected reduction in minutes from 28.1 to 17.7, his line -- 3.7 points (on 36.4 percent shooting) and 6.3 rebounds -- off the bench isn't appetizing by any sense of the word. In his stead, coach Brian Shaw has opted to go with Timofey Mozgov as the starting center.