3 obvious moves Michael Malone must make for the Nuggets to repeat as champions

When you’re the defending NBA champions, you’re going to get the benefit of the doubt more often than not, and rightfully so. That’s been the case for the Denver Nuggets this year as they trudge through the regular season.

They’ve mostly been very good all season, but in the few moments that their play has dipped, they’ve received plenty of grace and a general “they’ve already proven it” attitude. At the end of the day, that’s just the way it goes, and frankly, it’s well deserved.

Plus, the team is 42-19 and just half a game back for the one seed in the Western Conference. It’s not like they’ve coasted through games and are battling to make the playoffs. But the team is far from perfect, and nothing is guaranteed in this league.

The Nuggets still have a lot of work to do and once the playoffs start it’s a brand new game. Last year no longer matters. There are plenty of things the team must do and plenty that head coach Mike Malone must do.

Many of the coaching moves are things we’ve seen before, in last year’s playoffs when games mattered most. We assume these moves will occur once things ramp up and the stakes get higher. But still, this team has different players and every season is different. Here are three obvious moves that Coach Malone must make once the playoffs start. Just because they’re obvious doesn’t mean they’re not important.