Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone will look into possibly resting Nikola Jokic/the team’s starters more next season (lost 4-3 in the Western Conference Semifinals vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves).
(via Denver Nuggets):
Reporter: “With how much basketball Nikola Jokic has played over the last several seasons and he could be playing in the Olympics this summer too, how big of a point of emphasis do you think it will be next season to just lighten the load that he has to carry during the regular season at all? If that’s playing him less or just making sure he’s as fresh as possible for the playoffs later in the year?”
Malone: “Well yeah, obviously with the Paris Olympics coming up. I’m not even sure what Nikola’s final decision is in regards to playing, but if he does play, that’s more miles on that body. Somebody sent me a stat: the last five or six years, I think Nikola’s played the second most minutes in the NBA behind Jayson Tatum. A lot of miles for a big guy. So yes, probably have to be a little bit more smarter about some of the decisions we make and making sure that when we get to the playoffs, he’s mentally, physically ready to go and give us his best effort. But, it’s not just Nikola. I’ll be honest, when I looked out there in Game Seven, Nikola wasn’t the guy that I looked at and said, ‘Wow, he’s exhausted.’ I think there are other guys. So much was asked of Aaron Gordon this year. Much was asked of KCP [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope], Jamal [Murray], and Michael [Porter Jr.]. So I think just a collective kind of, ‘Alright.’ We were talking upstairs, and as a coach I’m thinking, ‘How do we win the next game?’ That’s my job. Calvin [Booth] as a GM is thinking about, ‘How do we win the next couple of years?’ That’s his job. And Josh [Kroenke] is overseeing all that and understanding how to piece all that together. That’s what I love about being a part of this team, is that we’re all working together. So I have to sometimes take my head up from the bunker and say, ‘OK, it’s not about just winning the next game, it’s about how do we win this season?’ And if that means resting guys a little bit more, lessening their load, their minutes, the games played… We’ll have to look at everything across the board, so that when we do get to the playoffs, you give yourself your best chance.”
