Head coach David Adelman and his staff are only a few weeks away from having the best kind of problem to figure out, a riddle that only they are best prepared to try and answer. They've got to figure out how to make the puzzle that will be the Denver Nuggets rotation fit together once they're all healthy.
What does that rotation potentially look like when the playoffs begin? It's a lot more versatile than most people thought when the season first started, that's for sure.
Thanks to the depth that was discovered during the Nuggets' brutal stretch of injuries that began in mid-November, Adelman will have a plethora of choices at his disposal. Options he may not have otherwise had.
Adelman was forced to find a replacement for everyone in the starting lineup except Jamal Murray. Peyton Watson stepped up for Christian Braun. Spencer Jones stepped up for Aaron Gordon. Julian Strawther stepped up for Peyton Watson. The Nuggets' starting rotation has been a revolving door this season.
But now, as the Nuggets have Braun and Cam Johnson back and starting again, they're much closer to healthy and whole than they have been in months. How is Coach Adelman going to construct the rotations once Gordon and Watson return? What about when the playoffs start?
What's Coach Adelman going to do at full strength?
When they're all back, Adelman's going to feel like a kid in a candy store about all of his options. Jokic, Murray, AG, Cam, Braun, Hardway, and P-Wat. Even Julian Strawther worked his name into the mix with a strong run of recent play.
But the math doesn't math. I didn't even mention Bruce Brown or Jonas Valanciunas, who we know will spell the Joker. Someone's in, someone's out. And that's the riddle to solve for Coach Adelman and his staff.
The transformation into a budding star by Watson could even open a debate when he returns about whether or not he should be starting for the Nuggets instead of Johnson or Braun. They've already got their 6th man, Tim Hardaway Jr. Watson's offense is too good to slide down the bench, and he's a long defender on the wing, a place Denver really needs help.
So, how does Adelman solve the puzzle? It could depend on who the Nuggets play in each round that they advance in the playoffs, and the odd-man out for playing time will likely be situational.
There's not really another way to make the puzzle pieces fit. It's a great problem to have, but also a tough situation for Coach Adelman. You want to get everyone playing time, but at some point, he's going to have to solve the riddle.