The Denver Nuggets have started the season off on the wrong foot on the injury front. Of course, they did, right? They've been missing Spencer Jones, Julian Strawther, Alpha Diallo, and starter Cameron Johnson. Head coach David Adelman has had his hands full trying to juggle his rotations, but he finally landed on one that looked great in the Nuggets' 104-91 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, and he needs to stick with it until those players return to the lineup. And perhaps even beyond.
With Johnson missing another game with an ankle sprain, Adelman inserted rookie second-round pick Trevon Brazile into the starting lineup for his first start, and it was a great decision from opening tip-off. The Nuggets bolted out to a 19-point lead at the end of the first quarter, and they never looked back.
It was the same lineup that the Nuggets used during the fourth quarter of their epic 23-point comeback against the Pelicans two games earlier. Brazile's rebounding and defense were keys to sparking the comeback, and it was great to see Adelman roll this lineup out again after failing to try it out against the Golden State Warriors.
The "big" lineup provides defense and athleticism
With Brazile in the starting lineup, the Nuggets' defense has extra length to help control the passing lanes. And when the rookie gets out of position- which happens because he's a rookie, of course- his athleticism gives him a chance to recover. Brazile looked great helping Nikola Jokic in the paint, and he's able to help Christian Braun and Jamal Murray out on the perimeter, too. The Nuggets had a defensive rating of just 72 in the first quarter, limiting the Pelicans to just 18 points.
Adleman's found a good bench rotation
Adelman finally wasn't afraid to test out Marvin Bagley III alongside Jokic. And it worked well. Bagley's athleticism at the four shined, and he even had a coast-to-coast play, taking the ball after a rebound the length of the floor for an easy transition layup. Former backup center Jonas Valanciunas would have never done that. Bagley ended the game with almost 19 minutes played, and he scored 8 points and grabbed 5 rebounds while also playing strong defense, adding a steal and a block.
DeMar DeRozan came off the bench for 25 minutes and, after a rough first half, showed his playmaking by dishing out 4 assists in the final two frames, finishing with 5.
Adelman needs to keep the rotation tight while Jones, Johnson, Diallo, and Strawther recover. But even when they do, he needs to give Trevon Brazile more run, because he's been the biggest positive to start the year.
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