From the get-go this season, the situation surrounding the Denver Nuggets point guards has been hazy. Head Coach Michael Malone has refused to commit to anything long term when it comes to Denver’s point guard’s outside of Jamal Murray being the team’s starter.
The dilemma continued Friday night when Malone opted to close the team’s 95-94 victory over the Miami Heat with combo guard/forward Will Barton at the point. The decision paid off as Barton’s late-game defense helped solidify the win for Denver; however, despite the strong performance, the Nuggets roster complexion will continue to allow Malone to mix-and-match on a nightly basis.
“Obviously, I’m hoping that Jamal can be the guy,” Malone said ahead of the team’s matchup against the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. “But I thought last night was just a tough night for him on both ends of the floor. That’s the luxury of having the roster that we have.”
After parting ways with veteran guard Jameer Nelson, the Nuggets primary options at point guard include Barton, Murray, and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Each brings unique aspects to the table, but none have been able to solidify themselves as “the guy” for the Nuggets.
Barton could serve as a closer, and relied upon heavily to absorb minutes at shooting guard and small forward. The blend of different positions and roles could complicate things and potentially limit Barton due to his already essential contributions.
As Malone said, the Nuggets organization is hoping Murray can develop into a closer for the team moving forward. His scoring ability and natural killer instincts have Murray primed to be the guy for Denver, but growing pains such as over-dribbling and lack of experience running an offense as a starter at the NBA level have prevented him from settling into that role.
Mudiay has shown improvements in his third NBA season, but still needs a tremendous amount of work before he re-earns the trust of the coaching staff and teammates, especially in high-pressure situations. His turnovers remain a problem, and his poor play late in Friday’s contest nearly cost Denver the game, prompting Malone to make the switch to Barton.
It will be a day-to-day decision for the Nuggets moving forward this season until somebody steps up or they trade for a proven player.
“It’s going to come down to game-by-game who is going to give us the best chance to win,” Malone said. “And that guy will be the guy that closes the games.”
