Clearly, Nuggets Must Address Staggering Lack Of Depth

October 29, 2024

Nikola Jokic. Jamal Murray. Michael Porter Jr. Aaron Gordon. The rising Christian Braun. The Nuggets undoubtedly have one of the best starting fives in the NBA. Especially Jokic.

But they can’t carry on this way. The bench is among the worst. And in the Western Conference, you can’t expect to contend when that’s the case.

Two years ago, the Nuggets won the NBA championship. Last year, many assumed they would again. But somehow, they fizzled in Game 7, at home, against the Timberwolves in the West semis.

No need to relieve that. It’s a new day. But in Denver, this new day does not involve enough men to get the job done in reserve.

Now, I’m not trying to rip the players who are giving it their all off the Nuggets’ bench. I’m absolutely not criticizing coach Michael Malone. He’s one of the best minds in the game, has been for some time, and is making the absolute most of the lineup he’s been given — as always.

But the Nuggets go about six deep. That’s it. And that’s with the hopes Russell Westbrook can have regular 22-point throwback showings, as he did in an overtime road win over the Nets on Tuesday.

That followed an OT road win over the Raptors on Monday. So, two OT wins in two nights against two teams that aren’t expected to make the playoffs. That moved the Nuggets to 2-2. And they had to be dead tired just getting there.

Against the Nets, Jokic and Porter each logged a whopping 41 minutes. Braun played 39, Murray played 37 and Gordon 33. Also, Malone used just four bench players on the second night of back-to-back OT games. Then again, some might tell you that was two reserves too many.

Anyway, those minutes were actually less than what the starters played against the Raptors the night before — when Jokic logged 44, Gordon 42, Murray and Braun 40 apiece, and Porter 39.

Malone admitted before the Nets game that something will have to change.

“Obviously we found ourselves in a game (against the Raptors) that we kind of shortened our rotation up a little bit in the second half, feeling the pressure of trying to get the first win of the season,” he said, via Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “And when you look at the box score after the game, especially going into the second night of a back-to-back in Brooklyn, you have your starters all at or near 40 minutes. And that’s not sustainable.

“We can’t do that. Game three, it was cool, man. Let’s get our first win, kind of take a deep breath. But that’s not sustainable.”

No, it’s not. Head of basketball operations Calvin Booth undoubtedly realizes all this. He knows he’ll have to make a trade to bring in some depth. How he goes about it … well, that’s why Booth has the job. He will have to figure it out.

That’s because the Nuggets have championship aspirations with arguably the best big man in the game. That big man, of course, is Jokic, and he’s in his prime. So the time to act is now — or at least soon.

Denver simply cannot carry on this way and expect anything more than what a lack of depth normally gets you when it means the most. And that would be eliminated.