The Nuggets got some great injury news coming out of the All-Star break, as the whole team was able to practice on Wednesday. Peyton Watson and Vlatko Cancar are nearing their returns, DaRon Holmes was able to partially participate in practice, and Russell Westbrook is completely off the injury report.
The return of Westbrook comes at a great time as the Nuggets have been digging deep into their bench recently, giving heavy minutes to guys like Jalen Pickett. Now, Russ has time to ramp back up and Michael Malone can start molding the team’s rotations leading into the playoffs.
Michael Malone forced to revisit starting lineup decision
But the return of Russ also means it’s time to revisit the starting lineup debate that has been following the team for much of the season. The second guard spot alongside Jamal Murray was given to Christian Braun once Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left in free agency and Braun has exceeded any reasonable expectations this season.
However, due to injuries, Westbrook has started more than half of the games he’s played in this season. His play, especially in tandem with Nikola Jokic has been revelatory and has forced Malone’s hand. When the team was fully healthy last month, Malone announced that he was keeping Russ in the starting unit and moving Braun back to the bench.
That lasted all of two games before Westbrook suffered a hamstring injury and the team pivoted back to their original starting lineup. So now, Russ is back and the team ostensibly has six starters for five spots.
Malone should keep Braun in the starting lineup and bench Westbrook
Malone has another crack at this decision and he can’t afford to get it wrong. Benching Braun was always a bad decision and now that he has a mulligan, hopefully he has realized that. It’s time for Malone to put his foot down and tell Russ he’s coming off the bench again.
That’s the role Westbrook was brought in to play in the first place and it makes the most sense for the team. Braun has done nothing to lose the starting job and demoting him for a second time would be a really tough look for the Nuggets.
Besides, Westbrook is best with the ball in his hands, running the show. But that makes little sense with Murray also on the court. Murray has taken off lately and his two-man game with Jokic is bordering on peak levels not seen since 2023. The Nuggets should be leaning into this 100% as it’s their clearest path to winning another title.
Coming off the bench would allow Russ to run the offense when Murray sits and the Russ/Joker two-man game can still thrive in those minutes. Braun is perfectly suited to play with either guard and his defense, cutting, and transition skills are a boon for both guards.
It’s not going to be easy for Malone to go back on a decision he just made a month ago and to send a respected veteran and future Hall-of-Famer to the bench, but it’s the right thing to do. If he has to eat some crow, then so be it. Inserting Russ back into the starting lineup in place of Braun would be a huge mistake.