David Adelman

Daigneault, Bickerstaff Named Coaches Of The Month

Mark Daigneault of the Thunder and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons have been named the NBA’s Coaches of the Month for games played in October and November, the league announced in a press release (Twitter links).

Daigneault won the award for the Western Conference, while Bickerstaff claimed the honor in the East.

After Oklahoma City held the best record in the NBA in 2024/25 at 68-14, Daigneault led the defending champions to a 20-1 record over the first month-plus of the season — unsurprisingly, that is once again the top record in the league.

Bickerstaff led the upstart Pistons to a 16-4 record during October and November, the top mark in the East and only trailing the Thunder for the best record in the NBA.

According to the league, David Adelman (Nuggets), Mitch Johnson (Spurs), Jordan Ott (Suns) and Ime Udoka (Rockets) were the other nominees in the West, while Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers), Mike Brown (Knicks), Jamahl Mosley (Magic), Darko Rajakovic (Raptors), Quin Snyder (Hawks) and Erik Spoelstra (Heat) were nominated in the East.

Nuggets Notes: Watson, Nnaji, Johnson, Barea, Depth

After not reaching an agreement this offseason on a rookie scale extension with the Nuggets, Peyton Watson got off to a quiet start, averaging 6.4 points per game on .441/.263/.720 shooting through 13 games. But with Christian Braun (left ankle sprain) and Aaron Gordon (hamstring injury management) both inactive on Wednesday, Watson took advantage of his increased offensive responsibilities and had a career night, with 32 points on 13-of-19 shooting, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes (subscription required).

“I knew there was gonna be a need for me to kind of increase my offensive load a little bit. I didn’t have any idea that I was gonna have 30,” said Watson, who had never scored more than 24 points in a game in his first three-plus NBA seasons.

Even when he’s not scoring, Watson plays a regular rotation role for Denver because of his defense. He leads the team in blocks per game (1.1) and ranks third behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in steals per game (1.1). On Wednesday though, the Pelicans dared him to shoot and he responded by making a career-high five three-pointers on nine attempts.

“I went to him,” teammate Bruce Brown said. “I was like, ‘Look, they’re gonna give you 10 (attempts). I know you’re gonna hit four or five of them. So keep shooting.’ That’s what he did.”

Brown added that “this should be a big year” for Watson, pointing out that he’s playing smarter and more aggressively than in the past.

“You can tell he’s been in the league for multiple years,” Brown said.

We have more on the Nuggets:

  • Little-used forward Zeke Nnaji, who had played just 20 total minutes in six appearances entering Wednesday’s game, started in Gordon’s place and then was part of the closing lineup after Jokic fouled out. Nnaji scored just two points and was a -18 in nearly 27 minutes of action, but the Nuggets viewed him as their best bet for slowing down Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who shot 2-of-7 from the floor when defended by Nanji, per NBA.com. “Coach (David Adelman) said Zion was probable, and if he plays, I’m gonna start, and if he doesn’t, he’ll go with someone else — but stay ready,” Nnaji told Durando. “So he gave me the heads-up, and I was able to prepare. … It’s just a mentality of matching his physicality. He’s a physical driver. He wants to get downhill to that left hand. It’s knowing what he likes to do, what he’s trying to get to and being ready for the challenge. Try to show your hands. Stay clean. Alter his shots.”
  • After making just 8-of-38 three-pointers to open the season, Nuggets offseason addition Cameron Johnson has knocked down 6-of-10 in his past two games. According to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Johnson’s new coaches and teammates were never worried about his ability to break out of that early slump. “Everyone has been saying, ‘What is going on with Cam?'” Adelman said after Johnson hit five three-pointers against Chicago on Monday. “Well, it’s going to happen. Cam is going to make shots. That is the bottom line. That is why we’ve been patient with this. That was really good to see.”
  • In an interesting story for The Denver Post, Durando details how former NBA guard J.J. Barea got his start as a coach and how the Nuggets assistant reunited with Adelman in Denver after first working together in Minnesota over a decade ago. “He was really good just talking with players, having that relationship with me,” Barea said. “He’s no bull-(crap). He’ll tell you how it is. He’ll tell you straight up to your face. And his dad (Rick Adelman) is similar. I was always a fan of his dad, the way they did things. … I was like, these are two good people to know and learn from more about the NBA.”
  • One reason the Nuggets are off to an impressive 11-3 start is their improved depth, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “We have different type of players, and they’re gluing into our system really good,” Jokic said. “Different positions, different personnel, different types of players, and everything is working out for us, defensively first and then offensively. Everybody’s buying in.”

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Northwest Notes: Mitchell, Ball, Trail Blazers, Adelman

The NBA’s best team keeps finding ways to get better, and Ajay Mitchell‘s recent breakout has given the Thunder another dangerous weapon, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. With Jalen Williams still recovering from wrist surgery, Mitchell has seized the opportunity to become OKC’s latest star. The second-year shooting guard is averaging 16.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists though 13 games while ranking sixth in the league with 1.8 steals. He has taken over Williams’ role of carrying the offense whenever Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rests and provides a complement to the reigning MVP in late-game lineups.

“I mean, he was breaking out last year before he got hurt (last season),” Isaiah Hartenstein said. “We see it on a day-to-day basis, and (coach Mark Daigneault) has a system that if you go out there and show what you can do, he’ll let you ride.” 

Mitchell is the latest find by general manager Sam Presti, who selected him out of Santa Barbara with the 38th pick in the 2024 draft. Mitchell started on a two-way contract before being converted to a standard deal in February. Once Williams returns, Mitchell figures to get consideration for Sixth Man of the Year honors and may be a strong contender for Most Improved Player as well.

“You want to take advantage of it,” Mitchell said of his role, “but I always look at it as, ‘Whatever the team needs me to do, I’m gonna do it.’ With injuries, I have to step up.” 

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • LaMelo Ball‘s poor interview with the Timberwolves during the 2020 pre-draft process helped convince them to make Anthony Edwards the No. 1 pick, relays Sam Jane of The Athletic. His colleague, Jon Krawczynski, told the story of Ball’s presidential aspirations during a recent appearance on Zach Lowe’s podcast. “One of the questions that was asked of him was: ‘Hey, LaMelo, after you’re done playing, what do you see yourself doing when your career is over? What kind of things do you aspire to?’ And LaMelo said, ‘I want to be president of the United States,’” Krawczynski stated. He adds that the team wasn’t sure if the answer was legitimate or if Ball was bored with conducting interviews, but it helped to make Minnesota’s decision clearer.
  • The Trail Blazers held a players-only meeting after losing by 24 points Friday night in Houston, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. It was their first lopsided defeat of the season, and they want to make sure things don’t get out of control. “Sometimes, we’ve got to talk with each other,” Deni Avdija said. “We’re like family here. And families have to say what’s on their mind.”
  • Coach David Adelman’s main concern about the Nuggets‘ early-season schedule has been two instances of traveling for back-to-back games that tipped off less than 24 hours apart, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “Especially when you’re playing national TV games that are a lot longer (due to commercial breaks),” Adelman said. “That’s something I think we all have to talk about. If we’re talking about the betterment of the players, and you want to see the best product possible nightly, you have to give them time for their bodies to come back and be themselves.”

Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Adelman, Holmes, Malone

The Nuggets became the last of the NBA’s 30 teams to play their regular season opener on Thursday, falling to the Warriors in a 137-131 overtime thriller. It was a huge night for veteran forward Aaron Gordon, who established new career highs by pouring in 50 points and making 10 three-pointers. However, he was disappointed not to come away with a victory in Golden State.

“They’re asking if I wanted the game ball, and no, I don’t want the game ball,” Gordon said, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “Take an L home with me? No thank you. So this sucks, but it’s one game, our first game. It’s a good team, it’s a really good team … we’re going to reconvene, watch the film and try to play better in our home opener.”

Nuggets head coach David Adelman said after the game that he felt “awful” for Gordon after his career performance was spoiled by some crunch-time heroics from Stephen Curry, who tied the game with a long-distance three-pointer in regulation, then scored a team-high seven overtime points to seal it. Still, Adelman was very pleased by what he saw from Gordon, who is typically a third or fourth offensive option for Denver.

“I thought he did it in a really efficient, smart way,” the Nuggets’ coach said. “He wasn’t forcing any … AG’s a special player. He has been for us for a long time.”

We have more on the Nuggets:

  • In an in-depth conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Adelman spoke about last season’s second-round playoff loss to Oklahoma City, why he believes Jonas Valanciunas is such an important addition to the roster, and the challenge of putting his own stamp on the team while also honoring a culture and foundation he helped establish as a longtime Nuggets assistant. “Yeah, it’d be stupid not to maintain some things that have been constants, that won us playoff games,” Adelman said. “But it would also be stupid not to realize the league educates itself and people have guarded us differently in the last two years. So doing the same thing over and over is not going to lead to anything successful in June. We have to tweak things.”
  • The Nuggets intend to send 2024 first-round pick DaRon Holmes to the G League throughout this season for developmental purposes, tweets Durando. Holmes missed his entire rookie year due to a torn Achilles and the team doesn’t want to rush him, Durando explains.
  • Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who was let go by the team near the end of last season, has shifted to a broadcast role this season. However, the 54-year-old said during an Inside The NBA appearance on Thursday that he doesn’t believe his coaching career is over (Twitter video link). “I’m definitely not done coaching,” Malone said. “Coaching is in my blood. I got that from my father. I’m excited to get back coaching on those sidelines and teaching once again.”

Nuggets Notes: Adelman, Johnson, Braun, Murray, C. Jones

David Adelman will enter his first full season as Nuggets head coach with the type of roster that former coach Michael Malone was hoping for, along with sudden pressure to win big, writes Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Adelman didn’t face those kinds of expectations when he took over for Malone late in the season, but he guided the team to the second round of the playoffs and a seven-game series with eventual champion Oklahoma City.

The new management team bolstered the roster by trading for Cameron Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas and adding Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency. Keeler states that it’s how the roster should have looked in 2023/24, when former general manager Calvin Booth decided to emphasize the development of young players over defending the NBA title.

“We think we’ve given ourselves a chance to give (Adelman) some tools, to have some resources to where we can be competitive,” said executive vice president of player personnel Jon Wallace. “Obviously, the season has to play itself out. But do we feel confident? Yes. But like I said, there’s a lot of basketball to be played. These guys have to gel. (Adelman’s) got to put his new philosophies in. So, time will tell.”

Johnson, who was acquired from Brooklyn in a trade involving Michael Porter Jr., expressed his excitement about being with a title contender again during an introductory news conference on Friday, Keeler adds.

“I want to win,” he said. “At the end of the day, I want to win. I want to win a championship. And obviously, we have the pieces to do it here. And that’s what I’m most excited about.”

There’s more on the Nuggets:

  • There are varied projections about what Christian Braun‘s extension might look like, but it’s reasonable to expect an average annual value of at least $30MM, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post states in a mailbag column. If he does reach that figure, Durando adds, the Nuggets will face a cap squeeze in 2026/27 with the starting lineup plus Zeke Nnaji combining for more than $200MM against a second apron currently projected at $222.4MM. Team salary could increase depending on how management handles Peyton Watson‘s potential extension, Valanciunas’ non-guaranteed contract and the options they hold on four rookie-scale contracts.
  • Nuggets fans should be encouraged by reports of Jamal Murray workouts during his time in Las Vegas, observes Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Murray, who struggled through a disappointing Olympics experience last offseason, has trained with Denver’s Summer League team and taken part in private workouts with some of the league’s best players.
  • A strong Summer League showing should help Curtis Jones land Denver’s final two-way spot, tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. The rookie guard out of Iowa State, who  gets an A from Keeler in a full story examining his play in Las Vegas.

Nuggets Parting Ways With Several Assistant Coaches

The Nuggets will not renew the contracts for several assistants on their coaching staff, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is parting ways with the following coaches:

  • Ryan Saunders, a Nuggets assistant since 2022 who previously worked for the Wizards and Timberwolves, including a stint as the head coach in Minnesota.
  • Popeye Jones, a former NBA forward who has spent the past four seasons as a Nuggets assistant and nearly two decades on NBA coaching staffs.
  • Charles Klask, who worked for the Pistons and Nets before being hired as a Nuggets assistant in 2018.
  • Stephen Graham, a former NBA wing who has been a player development coach in Denver since 2016.

An overhaul of the Nuggets’ coaching staff had been expected after longtime coach Michael Malone was let go in April with less than a week left in the regular season.

Lead assistant David Adelman, who replaced Malone, led the Nuggets to a first-round series win over the Clippers and pushed the 68-win Thunder to a Game 7 in round two before Denver was eliminated.

Adelman’s audition for the job earned him the permanent position, and Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke confirmed last week that he would be “absolutely” be given the opportunity to fill out his own staff. Reports at that time noted that most of Denver’s assistants were on expiring contracts.

Nuggets’ David Adelman Plans Style Changes Next Season

David Adelman talked about changes in philosophy and style of play at an introductory news conference Wednesday to officially make him the Nuggets‘ permanent head coach, writes Pat Graham of The Associated Press.

Adelman held the job on an interim basis after taking over when Michael Malone was fired on April 8 with three games left in the regular season. Adelman led the team to a first-round victory over the Clippers before dropping a seven-game series to the Thunder in the second round.

Players responded positively to the increased input they were able to provide under Adelman, along with the lifting of tensions that occurred with the dismissal of Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.

Looking ahead to next season, Adelman said he wants the team to get in “better shape” and he’s planning to expand the rotation beyond what Malone normally utilized. He’s looking at a slower style of play to maximize the skills of star center Nikola Jokic.

“We have to get back to being an execution-based team,” Adelman said. “If that takes away some of our pace numbers, or whatever the analytics want to say, I think that’s OK if it wins you a game in May, as opposed to playing a game in December. The majority of the time, if you want to win big, you’ve got to play slow. You’ve got to be efficient. You’ve got to be clean. So that will be things we’ll talk about throughout the summer, going to training camp.”

Graham points out that it won’t be easy to add talent to the roster because the Nuggets don’t own any picks in next month’s draft. Any significant trade would likely have to break up the current starting five, so the best avenue toward improvement will be progress from young players Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Jalen Pickett and DaRon Holmes, who missed his entire rookie season after suffering an Achilles tear in a Summer League game.

There’s more from Denver:

  • Between the reduced pace and Adelman’s desire for “a premium on shot-making,” Russell Westbrook shouldn’t be part of the team next season, contends Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Westbrook holds a $3.47MM player option, and Renck says the best outcome would be for him to decline it and join a team like Brooklyn that’s looking for a big name. Renck suggests using the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign free agent Tyus Jones, who would provide a steadier option as backup point guard.
  • Team president Josh Kroenke wants a better relationship between his coach and GM this time, so Adelman will have at least a small role in filling that position, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “DA will come into that process at some point. … But I think the input will be relatively minimal, because what I’ll be looking for is cohesion between those two (roles),” Kroenke said. “And I think that once we decide on that, I think I’ll have a lot of comfort on how they work together.” Kroenke added that he has “no news on that front” when asked about hiring an outside firm to identify potential GM candidates. He also praised interim GM Ben Tenzer for the way he’s handled the role since Booth was fired.
  • Adelman needs to send a strong message to Jamal Murray about coming to camp in shape and being at his best when the season starts, states Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Murray’s four-year, $207.8MM extension will take effect next season.

Nuggets’ Josh Kroenke Talks Depth, Adelman, Front Office, More

Following Denver’s elimination from the playoffs on Sunday, star center Nikola Jokic told reporters that the Nuggets “definitely need to figure out a way to get more depth” this offseason. Jokic pointed to Indiana, Oklahoma City, and Minnesota as examples of teams who have benefited in the playoffs from strong benches, whereas the Nuggets leaned more heavily on their top six players for most of the postseason.

In an end-of-season media session on Thursday, Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke said he agreed with his superstar’s assessment, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link).

“There’s an urgency to improve the team and the organization everywhere, whether that’s via trade, via draft,” Kroenke said. Right now, I think that having a cohesive organization from coaching staff to front office is our main goal.

“… I heard Jokic’s comments loud and clear. I mean, I think that I was thinking that before those words came out of his mouth. Just in how the playoffs, if you’re watching the games, you can see yourself, as well as watching our games, you can see where we leaned on a lot of guys for a lot of minutes in big-time moments. And that has a cumulative effect that when you play in a seven-game series,that can wear you down.”

Although Kroenke referred to the draft and the trade market as two ways the Nuggets might look to supplement their core, Denver is currently the only team without any picks in the 2025 draft and isn’t exactly loaded with trade assets. The team’s proximity to the tax aprons also means it will be difficult to make upgrades via free agency.

As Kroenke pointed out, that means the front office will have to get creative in terms of adding talent, while the coaching staff will have to do all it can to develop the Nuggets’ young players who are still on team-friendly contracts.

“The rules don’t allow certain (cap) exceptions to exist anymore the same way they did previously, for you to go out and get a veteran player, kind of a plug-and-play bench-type player,” Kroenke said. “I think those opportunities do exist if you’re smart and can find value where others might not see it. But I also think that whether it’s Oklahoma City, you look at some of the guys on the Pacers’ roster, these guys have been developed over a period of years. They understand their roles, they understand their responsibilities, and they’re accountable to that. Those are the teams that I see having a lot of success. So there’s a lot of ways to improve it, and we’re gonna be looking at all of them.”

Here’s more from the Nuggets’ vice chairman:

  • As we detailed on Thursday, Kronenke confirmed that Denver will retain interim head coach David Adelman, giving him the job on a permanent basis. Management is hopeful that Adelman will be able to get more out of some of the younger players on the roster than former head coach Michael Malone did, which might reduce the need for the team to find answers on the trade market. “I think a lot of our answers are internal right now,” Kroenke said, according to Durando. “With where we are from a roster standpoint, we have guys locked into contracts. We’re going into a coaching transition. And to be frank, that’s a huge change. Huge change. … DA’s philosophy, how he might use these guys slightly differently, there’s gonna be a lot of big changes throughout our organization already.”
  • Interim general manager Ben Tenzer has “done an unbelievable job” since taking over for Calvin Booth last month, according to Kroenke, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Tenzer is a lock to be named the club’s full-time GM. “I’ve promoted (general managers) from within for several cycles now,” Kroenke said, per Durando. “Am I going to do that again? I’m not 100% sure. But I know we have some very capable people in this organization, and they’ve made me rethink a few things that I’ve already been thinking myself, which is great. I don’t want an organization where everyone agrees. I want everyone to challenge people, and then when the door opens and we move out, we’re all moving in unison.”
  • While the Nuggets’ decision to fire their head coach and general manager with less than a week left in the regular season created the perception of instability, Kroenke pushed back against that notion, as Durando tweets. “I think the real instability would be if I just hid behind the curtain and allowed the plane to continue to go where it was heading, and probably, I think that plane would have landed in the play-in (tournament) and probably gone right out then,” Kroenke said. When Adelman coached his first game on April 9, Denver was in a four-way tie for fourth in the Western Conference. The Nuggets won their last three regular season games to secure that No. 4 seed.

Nuggets To Retain David Adelman As Head Coach

The Nuggets have reached an agreement with David Adelman on a deal that will remove the interim tag from his title and make him the team’s permanent head coach, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke confirmed the news at his end-of-season press conference on Thursday afternoon, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link).

Adelman, who had been an assistant under Michael Malone, was promoted to the top job late in the season following Denver’s dismissal of Malone. The team was impressed with his work during the final week of the regular season and in the first two rounds of the playoffs and has opted to retain him rather than launching a full-fledged search for Malone’s replacement, Charania notes (via Twitter).

After spending nearly a decade as a high school coach from 2002-11, Adelman was hired by the Timberwolves in 2011 as a player development coach under his father Rick Adelman. The younger Adelman remained in Minnesota for five seasons, beyond his father’s retirement in 2014, then was hired by the Magic as an assistant for the 2016/17 season. He moved on to Denver a year later and had been an assistant on Malone’s staff for nearly eight full seasons before his promotion in April.

Adelman led the Nuggets to a 3-0 record to close the regular season, clinching a guaranteed playoff spot, then won his first postseason series as a head coach in a grueling seven-game matchup with the Clippers. Denver subsequently battled the 68-win Thunder to a Game 7 in the second round of the playoffs before being eliminated on Sunday.

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic became more vocal about instructing his teammates on the court after Malone was fired, leading to a perception that he was the one actually coaching the team. However, as Durando recently detailed in a Denver Post story, Adelman has, by all accounts, earned the respect of his players, who advocated for him to return next season. Adelman has said he encourages his players to communicate with each other and doesn’t care how it’s viewed by the public.

“More of it, please,” he said. “Not a bunch of guys going and sitting on the bench, waiting for me to tell them something. Talk to each other. We can figure it out as a group.”

Kroenke told reporters today that he was initially open to looking outside the organization for a new head coach, but really liked the way that Adelman connected to the Nuggets’ core players. Adelman will be given the opportunity to hire his own coaching staff, with many of Denver’s current assistants on expiring contracts, Kroenke added (Twitter links via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette).

The next step for Denver this offseason will be to sort out the front office situation, since general manager Calvin Booth was let go at the same time Malone was fired. While there have been rumblings that interim GM Ben Tenzer could hang onto the job, Kroenke said on Thursday that the team will take more time to make a final decision on that front.

Adelman is the third NBA head coach so far this offseason to have his interim tag removed and get the full-time job, joining Doug Christie of the Kings and Tuomas Iisalo of the Grizzlies. Mitch Johnson of the Spurs could also be included in that group, though his situation was a little different since Gregg Popovich was on a health-related leave of absence before deciding to call it a career after the season ended.


Arthur Hill contributed to this story.

Adelman Considered Strong Candidate To Remain Nuggets’ Head Coach

In the aftermath of the Nuggets’ blowout loss to the Thunder in Game 7 on Sunday, one of their core players made it clear he wants David Adelman to return as head coach.

“I love DA,” forward Aaron Gordon said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I hope he’s here next year. I hope he’s our next coach. I hope he gets an entire training camp and a whole offseason to figure out his philosophy. DA’s great. He was excellent for us, and I hope that he’s here next year.”

Adelman was elevated from his assistant coaching job with three games remaining in the season after Michael Malone was fired, along with general manager Calvin Booth, by the team’s ownership. Malone and Booth had a strained relationship due to differences in opinion over the team’s personnel and Malone’s rotation decisions.

Adelman is considered a strong candidate to have the interim tag removed, MacMahon reports. However, team governor Josh Kroenke declined to directly address the head coaching job.

The team’s superstar, Nikola Jokic, indicated that Adelman did an admirable job under trying circumstances.

“You had three games to change something,” Jokic said. “I think he changed energy. I think the guys were woken up a little. Guys had more energy. He made us believe something, and we played good. We played a seven-game series against the best team in the NBA. We had opportunity, we had chances. I think he did a really good job.”

Guard Jamal Murray told the Denver Post’s Bennett Durando that “I think (Adelman) did a great job” noting “the different schemes that we came up with.”

Adelman, who was an assistant with Minnesota and Orlando prior to be hired by Denver in 2017, wouldn’t lobby for the job after team’s 125-93 loss.

“Decision-makers will make that decision,” he said. “Obviously blessed to have this opportunity to take the helm and lead this team. If I’m not back next year, I’ll obviously never forget this. It’s been an incredible experience. To have the buy-in from the guys was really special for me.”