DENVER — After missing the Nuggets’ last six games with a lower back injury, point guard Emmanuel Mudiay will likely return to the Nuggets’ rotation Thursday in Sacramento, but won’t take his presumed place in the starting lineup.
Michael Malone will stick with Jameer Nelson as Denver’s starting point guard, a spot the veteran has occupied in the Nuggets’ rotation since Mudiay initially went down in Denver’s Feb. 4 loss in San Antonio.
“I’m going to go with Jameer. Jameer is our starting point guard for right now and he has done a good job,” Malone said. “He has earned the trust and he has done a very good job while Emmanuel has been out. When it comes to who plays behind Jameer, that is a decision we are still trying to figure out.”
While Nelson is penciled in as the starter, who plays behind him is unclear. Rookie Jamal Murray, who has flourished in a backup point guard role with Mudiay out, is averaging 12.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 20.7 minutes while shooting 36.4 percent from three over the past 14 games.
“It has also given us a great look at Jamal as the backup one and he has done a very good job,” Malone explained. “So the great thing about when we have had injuries it has given me a chance to play other guys.”
Malone did reiterate the fact that Mudiay has played better since Nikola Jokic was reinserted into the starting lineup and did not rule out the possibility of Mudiay eventually reclaiming his starting spot.
“We were playing good basketball with Emmanuel as a starter so it’s not like we were bad with Emmanuel and good with Jameer,” Malone said. “I think when we made the lineup change we were 9-8 with Emmanuel as the starter and maybe were 7-7 with Jameer as a starter, in that ballpark. Right now I am just going to stay with Jameer for the time being and if we move back to Emmanuel, so be it.”
Mudiay still has a future with this team and the organization is still high on him but it seems that in Denver’s pursuit of a playoff berth, the Nuggets are willing to delay his development to a degree, which may not be the worst decision considering the team’s upward trajectory with both Nelson and Murray handling the point guard responsibilities.
“We’ll have to figure out how to reinsert him into the rotations and get him minutes while still getting Jameer minutes and Jamal, Gary, and Will,” Malone explained. “Therein lies the challenge and that is one that we have been spending a lot of time, lately, talking about.”
With a playoff push coming into focus over the last quarter of the year, the clock is ticking for Denver to iron out their rotation. Thursday’s trade deadline passing will give the Nuggets a clear picture of who they’ll go to battle with over the last two months of the regular season.
“26 games to go with a fully healthy roster. You cannot keep everybody happy. I think as you make a playoff run it’s not about keeping everybody happy. It’s about accepting roles and sacrificing for the betterment of the team as we try to be a playoff team,” Malone said. “That is never easy but hopefully, our guys understand that and can deal with it.”
Footnotes
The Nuggets carried a full roster through practice Wednesday outside of Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur. Arthur is being limited in practices and shootarounds to allow his knee to rest while Faried, who’s dealing with an ankle injury, was limited as well.
Thursday at 1:00 PM MST is the trade deadline. Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler have been the most mentioned Nuggets players in rumors as of late.
Officially, Faried (right ankle sprain) is doubtful for Thursday in Sacramento. Mudiay (low back pain), Gallinari (left groin strain) and Arthur (illness) are all questionable to play.
