Malone, Nuggets facing dilemma at point guard once Emmanuel Mudiay returns from injury

DENVER — Having three point guards in Emmanuel Mudiay, Jameer Nelson, and Jamal Murray is a “good problem to have,” according to head coach Michael Malone, but dispersing minutes among the three is a difficult to impossible task if the Nuggets want to play them all at point guard.

That problem is the precise reason Murray has played most of his minutes this season next to Nelson at shooting guard, a backcourt combination that was altered last week for the first time this year when Mudiay started missing time with low back pain. Nelson has since moved into the vacated starting spot over the last four games and Murray, who the Nuggets have routinely said is a “combo guard,” has slid in as his backup.

When Mudiay returns to the Nuggets’ lineup, possibly as soon as Wednesday against the Grizzlies, Malone and his staff will once again be tasked with distributing minutes to three point guards, all of whom deserve time at the one.

“I’ll have to get with our medical people and see, because if Emmanuel can play, maybe he’s only allowed to play 15 minutes and then figuring out okay, how do we want to disperse those minutes,” Malone said of sorting out a rotation once Mudiay returns. “But it’s a good problem to have because you have three guards that are playing at a high level. Obviously, you can’t play three point guards meaningful minutes so I’ll have to make some tough decisions regarding that front.”

Malone could very well go back to his rotation pre-Mudiay injury when the Nuggets’ offense was still firing on all cylinders. Murray would then return to playing more off ball and Nelson would slot in as the backup point guard.

In reality, the Nuggets have been an efficient offense this season when they’ve been lead by Mudiay, Nelson or Murray for that matter. Since Dec. 15, with Mudiay on the floor, Denver has a 120.1 Offensive Rating, which of course is aided by playing with Nikola Jokic, Denver’s offensive catalyst. However, when Mudiay plays without Jokic since Dec. 15, the Nuggets are still managing to score 109.9 points per 100 possessions, low for what Jokic generally does for an offense but still an efficient output.

“As of right now, no definitive answer has been arrived at in terms of who’s going to start, who’s going to play the backup and who’s going to be the guy getting the rest,” Malone said regarding what he’ll do when Mudiay is healthy. “Good problem to have.”

Nelson, 34, may not be a part of Denver’s future, but he’s an important piece to their present and will help fuel the Nuggets’ potential path to the playoffs. The 6-foot bulldog is averaging 14.0 points, shooting 54.1 percent from the field and is converting on 35.3 percent of his threes over the past four games, all of which Nelson has started in place of Mudiay. Nelson is enjoying his best all-around season since 2011.

“Jameer, in the 4.5 games he’s played, ever since Emmanuel left with a back injury has played at a very high level. Jamal Murray playing backup one minutes is playing at a very high level and prior to Emmanuel getting hurt, we were playing at a very high level as well,” Malone said. “So that’s something that I have to look at, talk to our training staff, see how ready he is. Does he have a minute restriction? Answer all those questions and figure out what’s going to give us the best chance to continue to play at a high level and win games.”

Mudiay has started all 41 of the games he’s appeared in during his sophomore season. However, if the 20-year-old enters Wednesday’s game against Memphis or Friday’s matchup versus Milwaukee with a minute restriction, it appears that Mudiay could come off the Nuggets’ bench.

Footnotes

Jokic (left hip flexor strain) is still day-to-day. Malone wouldn’t give a possible return date at practice Monday. He’s been getting treatment around the clock and has been in the pool rehabbing “quite a bit,” per Malone.

Mudiay (low back pain) is questionable for Tuesday’s matchup against the Lakers. Malone believes both Jokic and Mudiay will travel with the team to Los Angeles.

Murray (illness) did not practice Monday. Malone put his chances of playing against the Lakers at 50-50.