Michael Malone is in a tough spot right now. The Nuggets came into the season with championship aspirations but it’s pretty clear they don’t have a talented enough roster to truly contend. The coach can try different lineups, rotations, and schemes, but realistically short of playing Nikola Jokic 48 minutes a night, there’s not much he can do.
The roster around the Joker just isn’t good enough. Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. have been okay, but not good enough to be complementary stars on a title team. Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther have made some strides but are all overtasked at this point in their careers.
Other than Russell Westbrook, nobody else on the team is even playable. There isn’t some magic button that Malone can fix and suddenly make everything fall into place. This is a talent issue. The Nuggets don’t have enough good players, they don’t have enough 3-point shooting, and they don’t have enough defense. It’s sad, but it’s the truth.
But with Aaron Gordon dealing with a calf strain, Malone’s lineups are going to be stretched thinner than ever. Earlier in the season, Gordon missed 10 games due to a calf injury and Malone opted to replace him in the starting lineup with stretchy wing-man Peyton Watson.
Watson played well and the team went 6-4 in that stretch but the bench and frontcourt were stretched even thinner than usual. But with the strong play of Russell Westbrook lately, especially when he’s on the court with Jokic, there’s been some clamoring to get Russ into the starting lineup.
Malone inserts Westbrook into starting lineup for first game without Gordon
And that’s exactly what Malone did on Friday night; starting a super small lineup with both Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray in the backcourt. That meant a small combo of forwards with Christian Braun and Michael Porter Jr. each bumping up a position and of course, Nikola Jokic at center.
It was an interesting strategic decision as the Cavaliers boast one of the bigger and better frontcourts in the league with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. But they also start two smaller guards with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. There was some logic to Malone starting with the Nuggets’ five best available players against an elite team.
Unfortunately for Denver, the flaws in the logic were exposed quickly. Without Gordon and Watson, the Nuggets were missing two of their best defenders and it showed. The Nuggets simply didn’t have a defender capable of stopping penetration, navigating a screen, or keeping their man in front of them.
The Cavs were just dribbling by people, forcing the Nuggets into rotation, and getting whatever looks they wanted all night en route to a 1149-135 win. The Cavs scored 40 points in each of the first two quarters, seemingly scoring every time down the floor.
Along with the pitiful defense, the Nuggets’ other big weakness showed up in the 3-point shooting department. They actually shot it well, but attempted just 31 threes, getting lapped by the Cavs who got up 48, making 23.
Malone can throw stuff at the wall and hope it sticks, but his team got outclassed by a more talented group. The Nuggets’ roster is flawed and when guys are out, those flaws are magnified. Denver needs to bounce back and tread water, at least until Gordon can return.