As I wrote last week, I haven’t really been a big fan of Michael Malone’s rotations through the first week and a half of the season. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now — two of his best five players have yet to take off their warmups, and he’s still trying to figure out which direction the mountains are — but these things have to get figured out sooner or later.
Right now, Malone is running this team as if he has one of the deepest benches in the league, with 11 guys averaging over 10 minutes a game, and that’s just not the case. This team, at least until Wilson Chandler and Jusuf Nurkic get back on the court, is fairly thin, and Malone needs to start working with a shorter rotation.
It’s just one man’s opinion, but here’s how I see the ideal Denver Nuggets rotation playing out:
Point Guard
STARTER: Emmanuel Mudiay (33 minutes)
I don’t have to tell you that Emmanuel Mudiay is the future of the Nuggets organization, but I will anyway: Emmanuel Mudiay is the future of the Nuggets organization!
He needs to be on the court as much as possible this season; there can’t be any kid gloves.
BENCH: Jameer Nelson (23 minutes)
The Nuggets need Jameer Nelson. They need him to tutor Mudiay and be a veteran presence on the court — Mike Miller has that covered on the bench. That role alone is important enough to get him on the floor for 20-plus minutes a game.
Shooting Guard
STARTER: Gary Harris (25 minutes)
Before the season started, I said this would be Gary Harris’ breakout season, and I stand by that. For all the potential he didn’t show during his rookie campaign, he’s showing that and more this year.
Not only is he giving signs of being an elite on-ball defender, but he’s also hitting 50 percent from three, making him look much more like the “three-and-D” player he was predicted to be coming out of Michigan State. He’s not one of the five best players on the Nuggets roster, but he is the type of player that can make everybody better simply by taking a few responsibilities off their plate.
BACKUP: Will Barton (10 minutes)
This is probably the one I’m going to get the most backlash on, but I just don’t see Will Barton being a major factor on this team. He’s a useful player, but he’s a poor-man’s Corey Brewer at best.
The 26 minutes a game that he’s pulling in is simply too much, and I expect Wilson Chandler to take a huge chunk out of that when he gets back.
Small Forward
STARTER: Danilo Gallinari (35 minutes)
Danilo Gallinari is the Nuggets best player, and they need to start treating him like it. There’s no reason why he should only be playing 33 minutes a game. Gallo is 27 years old and as healthy as he’s been in years; Denver should be running their offense through him as much as possible.
To know that there are 34 players in the NBA getting more minutes than Gallo only makes me wonder what we’re missing. Let’s get him on the court and let The Rooster go to work.
BENCH: Wilson Chandler (25 minutes)
Until Wilson Chandler gets back on the court, I don’t think we can even begin to judge this team. He’s that important. Chandler is the guy that’s going to bring this roster into focus and allow Malone to take the team in whatever direction he wants.
Chandler will bounce around between the two and the three for most of the season, with some spot minutes at the four, and that versatility is what’s going to allow Malone to tighten up his rotations. If Chandler can be the type of player I think he can be, he’ll be able to hold down starters minutes in a bench role.
Power Forward
STARTER: Kenneth Faried (32 minutes)
I just said that Danilo Gallinari was the Nuggets best player, but that may be selling Kenneth Faried short. He’s been fantastic, maybe even better than we’ve ever seen, and yet Malone still seems to be having a hard time getting him on the court for 30 minutes a game.
Sure, he still has the tendency to fall asleep on defense, and bigger guys can take him to task on the block, but the Nuggets need him; they need his energy.
Denver needs to revolve around Mudiay, Gallo and Faried; in order to do that, they actually need to be out on the court.
BENCH: Darrell Arthur (9 minutes)
Darrell Arthur needs to be a situational player and nothing more. As an on-ball defender, he’s fine, possibly even pretty good. But he’s a mess everywhere else.
We’ve been hearing about Arthur developing a three-point shot for years now, but it’s not coming. He’s shooting 28 percent from three and an even more dismal 27 percent from the field.
If Denver needs to get a stop, put him out there. Aside from that, the Nuggets would be better off going small with Gallo at the four.
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STARTER: Jusuf Nurkic (28 minutes)
This is the position I’m most up in the air about. You’d think Jusuf Nurkic would be handed the starter’s job, and the minutes that come with it, as soon as he gets back, but the situation isn’t that cut and dry. For starters, as you’ll see when I talk about Joffrey Lauvergne, the Nuggets’ front court is getting pretty crowded. Plus, I don’t think we can expect Nurkic to be in peak basketball shape from day one.
Nurkic will eventually work himself towards heavy minutes in Malone’s rotation, but it’s probably going to take some time.
BENCH: Joffrey Lauvergne (20 minutes)
Here’s a stat for you: Joffrey Lauvergne is fourth in the NBA in PER (Player Efficiency Rating), only trailing Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin and Russell Westbrook.
I’d say that’s pretty good.
Now, of course, it’s a small sample size, and Lauvergne has already missed three of the Nuggets first six games, but there’s no doubt that he’s been impressive. And if he keeps playing this way, Malone is going to have a hard time keeping him off the court.