Nuggets coach Michael Malone says decision to part ways with Jameer Nelson was "the right thing"

On the same day they were slated to play the Utah Jazz in their regular-season opener, the Denver Nuggets officially waived Jameer Nelson. The decision to part ways with the 35-year-old meant the Nuggets were saying goodbye to their steadiest hand at the point guard position and turning the keys over to  20-year-old Jamal Murray and 21-year-old Emmanuel Mudiay.

It was a bold move for a team that desperately wants to squash a four-year playoff drought. It was also the right move, according to Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone, whose Nuggets (8-6) take on Nelson’s new team, the New Orleans Pelicans (8-7), in a nationally televised game at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

“He was a great leader for our young players,” Malone said. “And then on the court, he was playing at a high level for us last year. But at the same time, if you look at the big picture, you give Jamal and Emmanuel room to grow and develop. It was the right thing. Because I didn’t want Jameer to be here and not be playing. That would have been tough for him, and I understand that. He wants to play, and rightfully so. He showed last year he still has some gas left in the tank.”

Nelson began the 2016-17 season as the backup point guard in Denver but by mid-January had butted his way into the starting lineup. He wound up averaging 9.2 points, 5.1 assists and shot 38.8 percent from three-point land. Nelson’s assist-to-turnover ratio — 3.01 — easily eclipsed Mudiay’s (1.76) and Murray’s (1.5).

Nelson, now in his 14th NBA season, understood how to best put his teammates in positions to succeed, a skill Murray and Mudiay are still learning.

“He just knows the game,” Nuggets forward Darrell Arthur said. “He’s a true point guard. He gets his teammates into the offense. He knows when to pick his spots and where he’s comfortable shooting the basketball. He’s just a smart guy. Just a good vet, a good leader and very vocal out there.”

Murray and Mudiay have been thrown into the deep end without Nelson as the insurance policy. Both have had some nice moments. Mostly, though, there have been growing pains. Murray has yet to discover his three-point stroke — he’s shooting 28.8 percent from deep — and has only three more assists (33) than turnovers (30). Mudiay is a much-improved three-point shooter this year, but he’s still struggling to finish at the rim and continues to commit head-scratching turnovers.

It appears that Denver is just going to have to ride it out with the two youngsters at point guard. The Nuggets were frequently linked to Eric Bledsoe when the Phoenix Suns placed him on the trade market last month. ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported Thursday that the Nuggets were “in the red zone — if not the goal line” with Phoenix on a deal involving Bledsoe. But the deal never materialized, and Bledsoe was eventually shipped to Milwaukee.

So far this season, Nelson is shooting the three-pointer well at 38.8 percent and making the right decisions when the ball’s in his hands. His 2.67 assist-to-turnover ratio far outpaces the Nuggets’ team leader in that category, Nikola Jokic, who’s throwing 2.1 assists for every turnover.

“You’re not going to replace a guy like Jameer just overnight,” Malone said. “Jameer is an impactful kind of guy on and off the court. That’s why he’s still missed. I think all of our guys will be excited to see him. And I wish him nothing but the best.”