Michael Malone had time to ponder on what caused his defending champion Denver Nuggets team to exit early from the playoffs. He noted that while his team secured the second seed in the regular season, he could see how tired his players were during Game 7 of their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Malone said that his overworking the players definitely played a role in their playoff exit.
“On one hand, we got the two seed. And on the other hand, I’m watching our players play in Game 7 in the second half, and our guys looked dead tired. I think you guys probably saw the same thing. So did I run our players into the ground? I’m sure that’s definitely part of it.”
Malone and the Nuggets were able to get the second seed in the West with a conference-best 57-25 record, tied with the Thunder (the Thunder were the first seed because they held the tie-breaker). Four of the Nuggets starters, including Nikola Jokic, played more than 75 of the 81 games, which clearly took a toll on their health.
The Nuggets would beat the Lakers in five games before losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a seven-game series and getting eliminated. The Nuggets lost three of their home games in the series against the Timberwolves, which was very surprising considering how strong they had been at home, going 33-8 in the regular season.
It was a poor performance from the Nuggets in Game 7. While Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic both scored 30+ points, no other player on the Nuggets even crossed the double-digit mark in scoring. The Timberwolves outplayed the Nuggets on their home court, and fatigue had a great deal to do with it.
Denver Nuggets Will Recalibrate For Next Season
The Nuggets will definitely be taking a look at their roster and seeing what needs to change for them. There have been concerns about the construction of their roster, and what players will have to be sacrificed in order to meet the salary cap requirements.
Jamal Murray is eligible to sign a three-year, $145 million contract extension. While Murray and the Nuggets haven’t started any conversations about an extension, many across the league expect him to sign. If that does happen, it will constrict the Nuggets from a salary cap standpoint, and they will have to readjust their roster.
Recently, the Brooklyn Nets’ Mikal Bridges was linked to the Nuggets. Bridges is an excellent defender and team player on a cap-friendly contract. He could be a great piece for the Nuggets to retool their roster and aim for a championship once again.
Regardless of what the Nuggets end up doing in the offseason, there is no reason to believe they won’t be in the championship hunt next season. Regardless of the outcome of this playoff run, the Nuggets are still one of the best teams in the NBA, and Nikola Jokic is still an incredible player who can change the game when he wants.
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