“Actually, 38 minutes is a good number. I'm very happy with it. We kept it under 40 minutes”. The one speaking is not Tom Thibodeau but Mike Malone, and he was ironic about the playing time of Nikola Jokic during the victory against the Mavericks.
With 38 minutes of play on average, Nikola Jokic is the 4th most used player in the league, and obviously, that's worrying. Especially since the NBA leaders in this sector, Tyrese Maxey, Kevin Durant and DeMar DeRozan, are already injured.
“Have you seen his salary? » replies his coachalways with a wink, before continuing with this scene : “I know that when we are in the second quarter, there are ten minutes left to play and I say 'Nikola, let's go', he looks at me like that: 'Coach, already?' And I say, 'Yes, already, man.' »
More seriously, after ten matches, the triple MVP has already reached the 40-minute mark three times. On average, he plays three to four minutes more than last season, but as he is exceptional and the team wins, it is difficult to do without him. With the exception of rebounds, the Serb has his best averages in all categories (points, assists, interceptions, blocks, 3-point skills, etc.).
A “small ball” five when he’s resting?
“He understands it” continues Mike Malone. “He’s a warrior, but I don’t know if it’s possible to play Nikola 38 to 40 minutes every night. Let's be honest. We are at ten matches. We have seven wins and one loss in the last eight matches. And that's very good. But we also have to find ways to continue to find other options on our bench.”
Aaron Gordon injured for several weeks, Nikola Jokic is more alone than ever in the racket. Especially since Dario Saric, who was supposed to be the first rotation, is completely out of the picture, while DeAndre Jordan essentially plays mentor for the youngsters and Zeke Nnaji still makes too many mistakes.
Which leads Mike Malone to use Peyton Watson as a pivot in a very “small ball” five…
“It’s something we could do regularly if we wanted to.” But when we do it, we really reduce the turnover”admits Mike Malone about playing without a pivot when Nikola Jokic is resting. “One of my biggest concerns right now is making sure we don't burn out guys with a lot of games left. »
