We’re still in the early stages of the post-Michael Malone and Calvin Booth era of Denver Nuggets basketball. Overall, the early returns have been good. The team seems to have come together and rallied around the changes, and they’ve brought a new energy and vibe to the arena, which is showing up on the floor.
After the firings, the Nuggets won their final three games of the regular season and started the playoffs with a bang, winning game one before falling in game two, the first loss of David Adelman’s tenure as interim head coach.
It’s still hard to pick up any tangible changes in such a small sample size, but it is interesting to note the subtle changes in schemes and rotations. But one player has been in the midst of this saga, in some ways defining the war between Malone and Booth, and that’s third-year guard Jalen Pickett.
Jalen Pickett’s role as inconsistent as ever under Adelman
Pickett represented the young players that Booth has drafted, and Malone has been reluctant to play and develop over the years. Sources said that Malone’s continued insistence on closing with Russell Westbrook over Pickett was a key factor in his ultimate firing.
In Adelman’s first game, Pickett played a prominent role off the bench and starred, scoring 18 points in 31 minutes, including crunch time. After the game, Adelman insisted this wasn’t some sort of new plan, that it was just game-specific and he went with the guys he thought gave the team the best chance to win.
Adelman clearly wasn’t kidding, as in the next game, Pickett was recast as a deep bench player, seeing just 9 minutes of action. Pickett has gotten a chance in both of the Nuggets’ playoff games, coming off the bench in the first half of each game. But Pickett played just 4 minutes in game one and 7 minutes in game two, making a minimal impact.
He didn’t do enough to earn extended trust from Adelman, as he didn’t make an appearance in the second half of either game. He’s still struggling to stand out, he still hasn’t fully earned the trust of the coaching staff, and as a result, his role is still extremely inconsistent on a night-to-night basis.
Pickett in a tough spot, answering for the decisions of ownership
But Pickett can’t block out the noise completely. He obviously saw his name featured in reporting on the firings of his bosses. When asked about it, Pickett took the high road, as he told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post, “To be mentioned in these things, it’s kinda crazy, but growing up, you always want to be on this stage. So you gotta just accept everything that comes with it, at this point.”
It has to be a tough situation for the young guard to find himself in. He’s just trying to prove himself in the NBA and earn a consistent role. Meanwhile, he’s being asked about his role in the team’s firing of two NBA legends in Malone and Booth. It’s a precarious position, and it’s unfair to Pickett.
He doesn’t deserve any of this, and it’s bizarre for a young, unproven role player to be at the heart of this whole ordeal. Hopefully, he’s able to block out the noise and focus on basketball. The Nuggets will need him at some point, even if it’s not during this series. With any luck, he can hit the reset button after a long, strange season and come back ready to contribute in a bigger role next season.