For one reason or another, the Nuggets have rarely had their entire rotation intact for games this season. Whether it’s Jamal Murray with a concussion, Aaron Gordon with a calf injury, or Nikola Jokic with an illness, the Nuggets have struggled to get their whole team on the floor consistently.
Of the core four players, only Michael Porter Jr. has played in every game and Aaron Gordon has missed a whopping 21 out of 40. However, one player who has been incredibly reliable and durable this season has been Russell Westbrook.
Russ has appeared in every game this season and has blown all expectations out of the water. Signed to a minimum contract in the offseason, he’s averaging 13.1 points, 6.7 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 27.4 minutes per game.
But he has also provided both a spark and a steadying presence that has been almost shocking and his impact goes far beyond the box score. It’s actually scary to think of where this team would be right now without Russ.
On top of that, it has been amazing to watch the two-man game between Westbrook and Jokic. The two have quickly established an uncanny connection and the numbers when they share the floor are spectacular. Due to all the injuries, Westbrook has frequently found himself playing heavy minutes, often starting and closing games to great effect.
There are nearly 2000 different two-man combos in the NBA this season that have played 60+ minutes together.
— Jake Coyne (@TheStatSquatch) January 7, 2025
None of them are assisting each other at a higher per-minute rate than Nikola Jokic & Russell Westbrook, who have 120 assists to each other in 624 minutes played. pic.twitter.com/cHf3qaSaqw
And yet, this pleasant surprise has brought with it a very tricky situation for Michael Malone to navigate. With Gordon out recently, Russ had been starting for Denver and he has kept that role as Gordon eases back in with a bench role for now. But as long as everything goes smoothly, Gordon should be ready to resume starting duties very soon.
Starting Westbrook over Braun would be a massive mistake
This creates a dilemma for Malone; stick with what has been working, start Westbrook, and bring Christian Braun off the bench, or keep the starting lineup from the beginning of the season intact and send Russ back to the bench.
Looks like the Nuggets have an extra game or two to delay what will be a significant starting lineup decision.
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) January 12, 2025
Gordon coming off the bench today. That probably won't last long.
One of Westbrook/Braun will go to the bench. With way Westbrook has played, decision is difficult.
While Russ has been outstanding in the starting lineup, this should be an easy decision for Malone. He needs to stick with Braun and the original lineup. All offseason, the Nuggets hyped up Braun’s ability to step into the starting lineup and replace Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and he has done just that.
Braun has had a really strong season and has stepped into that role seamlessly. He’s been a great fit with the other starters and he is providing exactly what they need from the starting shooting guard. If anything they could stand to empower Christian even more and encourage him to take more shots and be more aggressive on offense.
For the past few seasons, the Nuggets have made an organizational decision to lean into their young, homegrown players. They’ve let players like Bruce Brown and KCP walk and invested in the likes of Braun, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther.
There have been some hiccups along the way, but the plan is coming to fruition. The three young guys are getting their chances, and playing well. They each have room for improvement as well. The trust seems to be paying off, and with more time, there’s even more room to grow.
This is all to say that to stray from that plan now and strip Braun of his starting job, through no fault of his own, because a 36-year-old veteran minimum free-agent addition is playing well would be insane.
Westbrook has been awesome and he can continue to be awesome on the bench. Malone can get creative in matching up his minutes with Jokic to maximize their time together and if Russ has a hot hand, he can still close games.
But to demote Braun like that would be completely unfair and could risk alienating him. We have no reason to believe that Christian wouldn’t handle it well, but it’s still a risk with a young player still trying to earn his place in the NBA. With the divide in the locker room between youth and veterans, this could even cause a rift and create division.
Things could spiral and Malone could lose the locker room if Braun and others take this move the wrong way. The youngsters have been built up to believe they are a huge part of the team’s future and Malone could undo all of that good faith with one hasty decision.
Messing with the team’s chemistry and mindset is a completely needless risk to take. The starting lineup has mostly been excellent this season and Braun has been a big part of that. This is a good problem to have, but it shouldn’t be a problem at all. Keep Braun in the starting lineup and find a way to make it work with Russ as a 6th man.