Nuggets say All-Star break is much-needed. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic journeys alone to Indy: “I feel bad for Nikola”
Aspen is calling Aaron Gordon’s name. But not the slopes.
Activities such as skiing are contract breaches for most professional athletes, whose physical health is paramount to their teams. That’s irrelevant, though. Even if that obstacle didn’t exist, Gordon’s trip to the mountains would be more focused on the view.
“We’ve played a lot of games,” he said Wednesday night.
On the schedule this upcoming week: rest, then more rest.
The Nuggets got through 52 of those games looking darned near pristine. They were tied with Minnesota for first place in the Western Conference after a road win over the Lakers.
The last three were a departure from their usual form. Suddenly, Denver is going into the All-Star break alone in fourth place, 2.5 games back of the West-leading Timberwolves.
That’s how slim the margins are this season.
“I think it’s that we’re not healthy,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said when asked if he sees any bad habits forming after a 102-98 loss to the Kings. “I mean, we have the best starting five in the league. The last three games, we haven’t had those five guys together, so I think it’s more of that.”
Therein lies why the general locker room mood entering the break isn’t particularly discouraged. As players shook hands and wished one another well on their respective vacations, the goodbyes were focused on mutual recuperation. Fourth place? Eh. If it’s that easy to fall in the standings, it must be equally manageable to ascend.
“I think everybody needs a break,” Gordon said in response to whether the skid is cause for concern. “Everybody needs some rest. I think that’s what it comes down to. When you’re fatigued, not only is your body tired, but your mind is tired, too. Your ability to focus is just not as laser-sharp.”
Gordon played one of his best games of the season Wednesday nonetheless (25 points, 15 rebounds) but the Nuggets have collectively stopped making shots, burdened by heavy legs without Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
There are two sides to the coin when Denver is missing starters. Heads is Malone’s main takeaway from this losing streak: The Nuggets will be fine when they’re healthy.
Tails is the uncertainty of what happens to the Nuggets if they aren’t fully healthy in the playoffs.
“It all depends on who’s healthy. When you say ‘if you’re not healthy’ … it depends on who,” Malone said. “Obviously when you have Nikola Jokic, you have a chance to beat anybody. When you have Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, as we saw last year in the postseason, you have a chance to beat anybody. Obviously when you have two starters out, like we did a few days ago in Sac and then the second half against Milwaukee … now you’re taking guys from the bench and putting them in.
“So yes, we can figure it out with that starting unit. We can put guys around Nikola and other guys, but now, what does it do to that second unit? Because coming into the year, knowing that we were really trying to play young and develop young players, now that really upsets the applecart with our bench unit. … It’s a trickle-down effect.”
On Monday and Wednesday, that trickle-down effect involved playing G League All-Star Collin Gillespie at backup point guard. He’s averaging close to a triple-double in the minors — an outstanding season after a devastating injury kept him out the entirety of 2022-23. In the NBA, his 3-point percentage is down, his facilitating doesn’t come quite as easy, and his size makes him more of a target for opposing offenses.
If there’s any qualm to be found with Denver’s quiet trade deadline, that’s it: How damaging could the trickle-down effect be?
Meanwhile, Gillespie is the only player in the organization joining Jokic at All-Star weekend. While the Nuggets get their much-needed rest, the two-time MVP will be on his own in the Midwest.
“I feel bad for Nikola,” Malone said. “He’s gotta go to Indianapolis, and hopefully he can find a way to just rest his mind.”
Gordon struck a tone of sarcastic confusion when speaking to why the Nuggets don’t have multiple NBA All-Star representatives, but the exclusion of Murray and company has blessing-in-disguise potential, if Denver’s players and coaches are to be believed about how essential this break is.
The Nuggets have mostly avoided the hardships of defending an NBA title after a short offseason. Now they’re finally feeling it in their bones, muscles and brains.
“It’s a little different. Everybody is hyped (to play us). Everyone’s geeked,” Gordon said. “It gives them that little extra pep in their step. But we like it. We like it. I think as these last 27 games come to a close, you’re gonna start to see us pick up our level of play and get back to a championship caliber.”
Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.