The Nuggets concluded a 1-4 road trip by losing to the Rockets by 19 points on Friday, prompting coach Michael Malone to promise that changes to the rotation were on the way, as relayed by The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando.
“I just told them,” Malone said. “Minutes, I’m gonna start playing different people. You just can’t go out there because you think you’re gonna play, and go out there and do nothing. You’ve gotta bring something to the party.”
Denver’s bench was outscored 16-0 in the first half on Friday with Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji and Julian Strawther the headliners of the second unit. Braun had a good road trip, according to Durando, but Watson was a minus-24 and Strawther was a minus-36 during that stretch, while Nnaji was a minus-10 before Friday, a game in which he got pulled after one minute.
The Nuggets have put an emphasis on a two-timeline plan this offseason, as evidenced by using three draft picks this year and entrusting young players like Braun, Nnaji and Watson with heavy minutes. That plan is being put to the test with star guard Jamal Murray having been out since Nov. 4. Malone said he hopes Murray comes back “really, really soon,” according to Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link).
One such change is seemingly going to be a minutes increase for Justin Holiday, according to Durando. Holiday only averages 8.2 minutes and has seen time in just six games, but he drew praise from Malone after Friday’s contest.
“I thought Justin played pretty well,” Malone said. “So we’ll see. We’re going home. Very disappointing road trip. … That’s the challenge when you have so many young, unproven players off the bench. But we also have games to win, and that delicate balance is a tightrope. But we need to win, and I’m gonna play the guys that are gonna help us get a win.”
Even though Reggie Jackson hasn’t been able to replicate what Murray brought to the starting lineup, Malone continues to praise the guard, whose production helped offset the bench’s issues when Murray was healthy.
“We’re playing lineups out there with no point guard,” Malone said. “We probably had quite a few minutes of that tonight. … Reggie, I think, has done a really good job in place of Jamal. But just like if Nikola goes down, we don’t have another Nikola Jokic. We don’t have another Jamal Murray.”
Outside of turning to Holiday, Denver’s options off the bench are limited. Vlatko Cancar was expected to play a bigger role this year but is missing the season with an ACL injury he suffered in August. Denver also has rookies Jalen Pickett and Hunter Tyson under standard contracts but that might not solve the issue of giving too much responsibility to younger players.
Outside of that, the only other veteran who isn’t currently a part of the rotation is 35-year-old DeAndre Jordan. Two-way players Collin Gillespie, Jay Huff and Braxton Key could also be in line for minutes.
Maybe if Malone spent more time worrying about building this team out instead of talking about the Lakers all off-season, he would have a deeper bench.
He is the coach not the GM….
They don’t have a deeper bench because Jokic, Murray and Porter all got their contracts taken care of. They don’t have the cap space to add real quality. They have to have Christian Braun be good, and hope others come through. Part of the bench is solved when Jamal Murray returns because Reggie Jackson, who has been more than solid starting, goes back to the bench.
They have the space for minimum guys, and there were better options than the desiccated corpse of DeAndre Jordan, a washed Justin Holiday, and using their entire mid-level exception on Reggie Jackson. He’s decent, but not worth all of the team’s middy. Expecting Braun to suddenly become a super-elite roleplayer based on a couple good playoff games was a poor decision. Relying on Zeke Nnaji, one of the most inconsistent players in the league, was equally foolish. They’re the reigning champs! If they couldn’t attract good minimum guys, it’s baffling. That was the one area where they had a potential weakness, and they did less than nothing.
Maybe they just aren’t that good without Murray
I think the Bulls should be calling them about trades. Perhaps the would be interested in a slightly used small forward with an excellent ISO game? A good 3&D vet wing who has playoff experience? Or a backup center who is a great rebounder?
All it would take is a couple of salary matching young’ns and a draft pick or two…
I mean, Karnisovas definitely knows their phone number…
Drummond and Craig make lots of sense in Denver. Bulls could take flyers on, say, Nnaji, Pickett, and Tyson, plus some 2nds.
Booth did a GREAT job assembling this group of young players considering his resources. It’s NOT a two-timeline situation. Booth’s draftees of the last couple of years were intended to form a bench that can affordably supplement their starters over the next 5 years or so, and that’s the period over which these picks will be judged. So far, so good, despite the last couple of weeks.
Malone is a basketball coach, doing what any real coach does. Align roles/minutes given with roles/minutes earned.
More Justin, less Julian. At least right now. I was supporting the acquisition of big bro Holiday for a few years. We’ve barely used him. Still struggling with PG depth. If they’re trading for anybody, it needs to be a a 1 or possibly a combo guard like Cowboy Bruce.