Two Denver Nuggets players who exceeded expectations in October and four who fell short of expectations

In the first of many player reports to come from the Denver Nuggets, the sample size is small, but these early trends in player performance could impact their rotation in November. These player grades only apply to players who appeared in more than 8 minutes per game, essentially indicating that they were part of the rotation when healthy for the month.

Because of this 8-minute cutoff, there are only 9 players to evaluate in the October report. That number will likely rise in the coming months as players are sidelined or deal with injuries, but for now all that's left to evaluate is the perceived playoff rotation… and there are some concerns.

The Nuggets lost their first two games of the season, both at home, to the Thunder and Clippers. Then they went on the road and battled two non-playoff teams, the Raptors and the Nets, needing overtime in both games to win. A 2-2 score certainly isn't the end of the world, but it's clear that some Nuggets players got off to a better start than others.

Grades are weighted based on the specific role and expectations the player had at the start of the month (in this case, the start of the season). Which players are the standouts in October, which players have lacked quality so far, and which players are in between?

Nikola Jokic: A+

There have been a lot of question marks surrounding the Nuggets this season, but three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is not one of them. He's as dominant as ever and appears to be on his way to another MVP season.

The Joker averages 31.5 PPG, 12.3 RPG and 9.3 APG, along with 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. He took the term “stat stuffer” to a whole new level. Not only are his numbers insane, but he does it on 57/55/78 shooting splits, which is insanely efficient. Jokic may be the only reason Denver isn't currently 0-4.

Christian Braun: A

After Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's departure, many NBA analysts didn't believe Christian Braun could step in as the fifth starter without experiencing growing pains. Still, Braun was an absolute joy for Denver and one of the few real, non-joking bright spots. He harmonized well with the starting unit on offense and was also successful on defense.

CB has averaged 14.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 2.8 stocks per game as he continues to adjust to playing big minutes for Denver. His 1.8 blocks per game leads the entire team and his 53.8% FG shooting ranks 3rd on the team. Even his shooting from beyond the arc isn't bad, he has a 36.4% shooting percentage, good for fourth best on the Nuggets.

Next, the middle grades are awarded to three specific players