Things have been clicking lately and Michael Malone shouldn’t be afraid to lean all the way in
Philadelphia 76ers v Denver Nuggets | C. Morgan Engel/GettyImages
Thursday night marked the 8th game in a row in which the Denver Nuggets won with Nikola Jokic in the lineup, as they toppled the Sacramento Kings 132-123. The Nuggs have also won all six games that Aaron Gordon has laced ‘em up since returning from injury and coming off of the bench. This begs the question… Should Gordon continue to lead the bench long term?
The Nuggets bench has truly been unlocked since Gordon transitioned to this bench role due to a minutes restriction and the team is firing on all cylinders with Russell Westbrook in the starting lineup. While Gordon struggled shooting against the Kings (1/8 from the field), he is a great fit with several bench players and his impact is huge in the historically dreaded non-Jokic minutes.
The bench mob with Gordon has never looked more competent. This allows Jokic to rest longer and have more fun on the court thanks to the high-level ball movement and pace that the team is playing with. Heck, even full-court buzzer-beaters are going in for Jokic! If Gordon being on the bench unlocks Denver’s upside, should he become the Nuggets version of Lamar Odom?
Lakers won 2 titles thanks to Lamar Odom transitioning to bench
Back in 2008-2009, the Los Angeles Lakers were an elite team trying to get over the hump to win their first NBA championship since 2002. Lamar Odom joined the team in 2004 and started 277 games in a row for LA before the 08-09 season when Phil Jackson made a bold move and convinced Lamar Odom to come off of the bench for the Purple and Gold.
23-year-old Trevor Ariza at the time found himself in the starting lineup for the title run after starting just 20 games throughout the regular season. Meanwhile, Odom led the bench unit and staggered with the starters, still often closing games. This change seemed to push LA over the top and helped them win not just the 2009 title, but also the 2010 championship a year later.
No one at the time would argue that Ariza was a better overall player than Odom, but many knew that Ariza’s impact would be most noticeable with the starters and Odom would be able to thrive either in the starting lineup or the bench unit. He eventually won 6th Man of the Year in 2011 as well, despite the Lakers failing to secure another 3-peat.
Can Aaron Gordon fulfill this Lamar Odom role for Nuggets?
Aaron Gordon finds himself in a similar situation to Odom back then. He is still a better overall player than Christian Braun, for example, but Braun is a player who is an elite 5th option with the other starters but may struggle with more responsibility on the bench. Gordon, on the other hand, can clearly thrive as a 4th-5th option or a 2nd-3rd option (for limited bench minutes).
Reports indicated that Coach Michael Malone and Gordon even spoke about this situation and the forward showcased the epitome of Mr. Nugget values, letting Malone know that the team has been playing their best basketball lately and he was fine coming off of the bench.
The Nuggets have not lost a single game since January 3rd when either Jokic or Gordon suits up, so both are clearly helping the Nuggets thrive. Whether Gordon continues to thrive off the bench is the best solution to help Denver win their 2nd championship remains to be seen, but the Lamar Odom blueprint with the Lakers in 2009 is great food for thought.
Gordon and the Nuggets now head to Minnesota to face off with the Timberwolves on Saturday afternoon, looking for their 5th win in a row.