Michael Malone and the Nuggets finally had to face a tough decision head-on the other night, and the choice was fascinating. With his rotation fully healthy, Malone opted to start Russell Westbrook and relegate Christian Braun to a bench role.
When explaining and justifying the decision in his press conference, Malone stated that “The Russ-Nikola dynamic is the best two-man combination in the NBA right now.” He said that he didn’t want to disrupt their rhythm and that he was confident Braun would give them consistency whether starting or coming off the bench.
"I think the Russ-Nikola dynamic is the best two-man combination in the NBA right now."
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 30, 2025
Coach discusses tonight's shift in lineup 🎙 pic.twitter.com/bRrbJZIZFz
No matter what the choice, this was going to be a tough hit for someone to take. But it seems crazy to demote Braun, who has worked towards this role for three seasons, done everything to earn the job once Kentavious Caldwell-Pope departed, and has played great all season since being named and hyped as the starter.
Put simply, he doesn’t deserve this, and that it’s happening for a 36-year-old veteran minimum signing is pretty wild. If nothing else, this will certainly add fuel to the idea that Malone favors veterans and doesn’t trust young players.
Jokic and Westbrook aren’t even the best duo on the Nuggets
The Jokic-Westbrook combination has been amazing this year and every stat backs it up. What a fun, pleasant surprise the Russ signing has been and his two-man game with the Joker has been a joy to watch. But let’s pump the brakes here a little bit.
It has been barely half of a regular season when the Nuggets have dealt with injuries and other issues. Russ has been Johnny-on-the-spot filling in, but this is a core group that has won a championship together with Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr.
Those guys have incredible chemistry together and they’ve been through countless playoff battles together, with scars and rings to prove it. Each of the Murray, Gordon, and MPJ have an excellent two-man connection with Jokic that has been building over many years.
The Nuggets can go to any of those actions at any time and get a great look. But when the chips are down, it has been the Murray-Jokic combo that has always been there and always proven to be unstoppable. That’s the duo they rode to a championship and that’s the combo that truly has a claim to being the best in the NBA.
Sure, Murray has had a down year, but this is some incredible recency bias by Malone, someone who should know better. Perhaps he is intentionally trying to send a message to his team and motivate Murray - who has played much better in recent weeks.
But it seems a bit disrespectful to say the least, and if Malone thinks that riding Russ like this through the playoffs is now the team’s best option, the Nuggets are going to be in for a very rude awakening.