In the wake of the Nuggets‘ decision to fire both general manager Calvin Booth and head coach Michael Malone with less than a week left in the regular season, second-year guard Jalen Pickett began seeing his name pop up in reports about the rift between Booth and Malone prior to their dismissals.
Booth’s desire for Malone to play Pickett more often – including over free agent addition Russell Westbrook – was cited as one of the sources of disagreement between the two franchise leaders. Those differences of opinion reportedly created tension in the organization and factored into the decision to let them both go.
“To be mentioned in these things, it’s kinda crazy,” Pickett acknowledged to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required) on Friday. “But growing up, you always want to be on this stage. So you gotta just accept everything that comes with it, at this point.”
After logging just 122 total minutes for the Nuggets as a rookie, Pickett has seen his role expand this season, especially in recent weeks. He averaged 24.5 minutes per night and earned four starts in Denver’s final eight games of the regular season. While it remains to be seen how much run he’ll get in the playoffs, Pickett is trying to focus on how he can help his team get past the Clippers rather than dwelling on how a managerial disagreement over his usage might’ve led to organizational changes.
“Can’t really focus on that type of stuff,” Pickett said. “Can’t control anything that happens in this business, as you can see from this year. But, just when my number’s called, I’m going to be ready each and every time I step on the floor. And that’s whatever the team needs me to do at this stage.”
Here’s more on the Nuggets:
- While Denver can count on superstar center Nikola Jokic to contribute at a high level in the postseason, Jokic and the Nuggets will need the 2020 bubble version of Jamal Murray if they hope to have a shot at another title, opines Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Murray averaged 26.5 points per game on .505/.453/.897 shooting during that postseason. “This is going to be a tough series for (Jamal),” interim head coach David Adelman said. “(The Clippers) have a lot of people to throw at him. And I think the biggest thing for us is, these guys — me, the staff — have to help Jamal. Because if we can get him free, we know what he’s capable of.”
- Veteran forward Aaron Gordon has a long-term contract that keeps him under team control through at least 2028, but if the Nuggets can’t get past the first round in this year’s playoffs, could his days in Denver come to an end this offseason? Troy Renck of The Denver Post weighs that question, pointing out that Gordon might be more valuable as a trade chip in the event of a reboot than Murray or Michael Porter Jr.
- In a pair of additional stories for The Denver Post, Durando explains why his Most Valuable Player vote went to Jokic and takes an in-depth look at how Adelman and the Nuggets have designed their offense around the three-time MVP in a way that maximizes his abilities while continuing to expand his boundaries. “Basically, for the last eight years, we have been watching the best players in our league that are not centers, and we’re saying that our guy can do everything they can do,” Adelman told The Denver Post. “Plus what a big guy does.”