March 20th, 12 wins ago, the Nuggets tried something different with their rotation. David Adelman made an adjustment to what has become widely known around Denver as the non-Jokic minutes. It became the "small-ball" unit, and that unit helped the Nuggets get off to their hot streak.
It lasted all of five games until Spencer Jones and Peyton Watson both got hurt. Now it would seem that lineup is what Nuggets head coach David Adelman wants back against the Minnesota Timberwolves in round one of the NBA playoffs.
"I'm really hoping that Spence [Jones] will play," Adelman said about the injured forward.
Both Watson's and Jones' status are still "up in the air" heading into tomorrow, and Adelman said Jones has a better chance to play than Watson does. But getting Jones back for game one could be a critical piece to avoid the disaster that happened last time the Nuggets faced the Timberwolves this season.
The small-ball unit instantly boosted the non-Jokic minutes
There was a big hole beginning to form at the top of the second and fourth quarters, and that hole was Jonas Valanciunas. And it may not have stuck out worse than against the Wolves on March 1st. David Adelman called it a "horrendous" defensive collapse.
Big Val was -15 with only 2 points in 9:36 of court time, and put the Nuggets into a hole at the top of the second quarter that they couldn't recover from. And it came on the back of a -21 effort against the OKC Thunder.
Those efforts spurred Adelman to try something else. He started rolling out some combination of Jamal Murray, Bruce Brown, Julian Strawther, Cam Johnson, Watson, and Jones.
And in the five games Big Val was off the floor, the Nuggets' small-ball unit actually triggered multiple clutch wins and played near lock-down defense in some cases. It was a breath of fresh air, and it was anchored by Jones under the hoop.
Another option against the Timberwolves is certainly great
It's no wonder coach Adelman is "really hoping" Jones will be back for the first game. It presents him with another option, and one that was quite effective as well. The small-ball unit can't be anchored by anyone else except for Watson, but he's probably not coming back for game one.
At least Jones is close. The Nuggets have had so many injuries this season, it's no wonder Adelman was able to joke about always being in this position and being prepared with what the Nuggets have. He's had to have another option ready all season. And another option against a stout rival in the Timberwolves would certainly be great.
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