Michael Malone has been running the show for the Denver Nuggets for roughly a year and a half, compiling a record of 47-69 in that span. In his time as head coach there has certainly been more bad then good; however, he has continued to build optimism around this promising Nuggets team.
During his pregame press conference ahead of the game against his former team, the Sacramento Kings, Malone opened up about the direction this team is heading, as well as some of the struggles of coaching such a youthful bunch paired with some seasoned vets.
“We are progressing,” Malone said pregame on Tuesday. “By no means are we where we want to be, but when I look at the fact that we start such a young group – Mudiay, Harris, Nikola Jokic, our three young guys – I think the greatest challenge we have is finding a way to develop our young players, but also stay competitive. That is not an easy thing to do in the NBA. We were young last year, and the fact of the matter is we are younger this year. We drafted three more young guys, only one of which is in the rotation now in Jamal Murray.”
There have been challenges to say the least, but Malone has done a fair job of juggling everything on his plate so far while continuously building a positive culture in the locker room.
Sure, guys have seen cuts in playing time or reduced roles here or there, but at the end of the day they all rally around the philosophy Malone has instilled in the locker room. That is critical for any team, especially one that has experienced growing pains.
The Nuggets are an interesting bunch. They have enough potential to be the next big thing in the Western Conference, but they still face a future filled with uncertainty.
In the year and a half coach Malone has been running the show the Nuggets have seen glimpses of what the future holds in store, but have also been faced with the harsh reality of what it’s like not to win games. The challenges Malone faces, being a competitive win-now minded coach with a roster full of “what if’s,” makes for a challenge, but one Malone will have to deal with if he wants to be the guy to lead this team back to the playoffs.