Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone reflected on his team’s playoff performance, acknowledging that pushing for a higher seed in the second half of the season may have contributed to fatigue among key players.
The Nuggets, who were the number two seed, were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals.
Malone addressed the conflict of balancing the postseason push with player fatigue during an end-of-season press conference.
He admitted to pushing his players hard to secure a higher seed, which may have taken a toll on their energy levels in the playoffs.
Watching his players in Game 7 against the Timberwolves, Malone observed signs of exhaustion among his team. He questioned whether he had overworked his players during the regular season, contributing to their fatigue in crucial playoff games.
“How do we handle the conflict of the postseason push after the All-Star break? Well, on one hand we got the two-seed,” Malone said. “On the other hand, I’ watching our players play in Game 7 [against the Timberwolves] the second half and our guys look dead tired,” he continued.
The Nuggets faced challenges in managing player rest and recovery throughout the season. Unlike the previous year, they were unable to afford resting players down the stretch due to the competitive nature of the Western Conference.
Malone emphasized the demands placed on key players like Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokić.
“And did I run my players into the ground? I’m sure that’s definitely part of it. Much was asked of Jamal, KCP, Aaron and Nikola especially. We were not afforded the opportunity like we were last year to rest players down the stretch. This was a different season and that was a decision we made and we live with it,” he said.
