NEW YORK — After eight games in an unfamiliar bench role, it was time for Aaron Gordon to shed his minutes restriction and rejoin the starting lineup. The pain in his right calf had subsided. He was ready.
But his return dominoed into a difficult choice for Nuggets coach Michael Malone.
Malone has opted to keep Russell Westbrook in the starting five for now, moving Christian Braun to the bench. Braun, 23, began the season as Denver’s new starting two-guard, but Malone informed him Wednesday morning in New York of his plan for the lineup going forward.
“Never an easy decision. Christian Braun has been great for us this year. Not good. He’s been great,” Malone said after a 122-112 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. “And he’s done everything that’s been asked of him. But I just like keeping Russell out there.
“I think the Russ-and-Nikola (Jokic) dynamic is the best two-man combination in the NBA right now, and I didn’t want to disrupt their rhythm. Knowing that CB, whether he comes off the bench and plays 29 minutes like he did tonight, or he starts, he’s going to give us the same thing every night. We need that. … I applaud CB’s understanding of what we’re trying to do.”
In 897 minutes together, Westbrook and Jokic have an 11.4 net rating this season, which ranks fifth in the NBA among all two-man combinations with 800 or more minutes. Jokic and Braun rank sixth, with an 11.3 net together.
Jokic and Westbrook have also remained one of the top assist duos in the league.
The Nuggets (28-19) signed Westbrook to be their sixth man, but they have used him as a spot starter when both Gordon and Jamal Murray have faced injuries this season. The 36-year-old former MVP is averaging 13.2 points and 6.4 assists this season, shooting 48% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point line.
“Whatever I’m called to do, that’s what I’ve gotta do for this team,” Braun said. “Obviously I took a lot of pride in having that spot, trying to win that spot, and I’m going to work to try to get it back. That’s my job. That’s what I want. But whether I’m coming off the bench or starting, I’m very grateful for every opportunity I get from top to bottom. So just gotta work to get that back.
“… Everybody in the NBA wants to start. They’re going to continue to give me minutes. They’re going to continue to give me opportunities. I’ve just gotta do the most with what I get.”
Braun was coming off a career-high 28-point game in Chicago on Monday when he got the news. He has taken impressive strides in his third professional season, averaging 14.3 points and ranking top five in the league in fast-break points.
“(Malone’s) message to me was just, it wasn’t anything that I did,” Braun said. “It wasn’t a punishment or anything like that. He said he just feels like that was best for us, and that’s all right.”
“He handled it well. I don’t know if he’s had many downs in the NBA,” Malone said. “He’s only been in the league three years, and he’s been in the rotation since his rookie year. But he’s a team player. Was he celebrating? Was he shaking his pom-poms? No, of course. He’s a competitor. He wants to be out there. He wants to start. But what you love about Christian Braun is he’s going to do whatever you ask him to do, and whatever is best for the team, and right now that’s to bring him off the bench. I’m not saying that’s permanent, but that’s the decision we made for the time being, and we’re going to give it a chance to see where it goes.”
In an ironic plot twist, Malone was thrown off-script 90 seconds into the game after Jokic picked up two quick fouls, forcing him to sit the remainder of the first quarter while Braun checked in early.
“It doesn’t make a difference to me,” Braun said. “Of course, I want to start. Everybody on the team wants to start. But it doesn’t matter. I just want to contribute when I’m out there. … Obviously, those guys have earned it. Those guys have been in the league a long time. They’ve put in a lot more time than I have. So they deserve those things. And I got a lot of opportunity tonight.”