Julian Strawther’s first career NBA start was a box-score dud, but coach Michael Malone was more concerned with how Strawther reacted to it.
“I felt he was being overly hard on himself and allowing his lack of shot-making (to affect his body language). … I don’t want to see that,” Malone said last Thursday at Ball Arena, where Denver had just crushed Orlando. “He’s gotta have a next-play mentality. Because he’s competing. He’s trying on the defensive end. He’s battling.”
Strawther’s 1-for-8 outing didn’t matter in the grand scheme. But for a young guard who earns his minutes by giving Denver a scoring jolt off the bench, it was a disappointing night nonetheless. Especially under the circumstances. Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook were out, pushing him into the starting lineup.
Malone told Strawther in the locker room that night to “do me a favor and take a deep breath.” The 22-year-old ended up texting Malone to apologize for the inefficient performance.
In Strawther’s next three starts, with Michael Porter Jr. missing games due to hamstring tightness, he averaged 15.7 points and five rebounds while regaining confidence and rhythm before the All-Star break. Now he’s unexpectedly Bay Area-bound, an impromptu addition to the NBA Rising Stars event Friday night (7 p.m. MT, TNT) after Scoot Henderson needed an injury replacement.
“I was planning on just going home (to Las Vegas) and seeing family, but this is a good reason to change the plans,” Strawther told The Denver Post. “I’ll never have an opportunity to do it again, so it’s an honor to be selected and to be a part of that.”
Now Strawther’s family will be accompanying him to San Francisco, where “he’ll have a chance to enjoy it and go out there and show the world what he’s capable of doing,” as Malone put it.
Back in Denver, Strawther’s development has been monitored closely within the Nuggets’ walls. The pendulum keeps swinging back and forth. He’s a tantalizing talent, but his production oscillates. His point-of-attack defense has been under the microscope all season, as evidenced by general manager Calvin Booth’s admission last week that “defensively, it’s going to be a challenge for him in the playoffs right now.”
When the Nuggets (36-19) return, that will be one of the most pivotal storylines of their last third of the regular season. Playoff basketball will be on the horizon. Will Strawther be part of Malone’s playoff rotation? Will he get relentlessly hunted on switches until he’s played off the court?
Or, as Malone was asked, is there a level Strawther can reach offensively in the next 27 games that would make him playoff-viable despite the defensive concerns?
“He’s still a young player, and so you see the inconsistencies,” the 10th-year Nuggets coach said this week. “Two games ago, his first start, he’s down on himself, doesn’t play as well as we know he’s capable of playing. Doesn’t make shots. Then he rebounds in his second start. … I think for all young players, you go back to all guys, early stages are up and down. You have to live with those. Obviously, if and when we get to the playoffs, we’ll figure all that out. But he’s an important piece. He’s a guy that we, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, we need him to be aggressive.”
Strawther is averaging 9.6 points going into the break. He’s shooting 43.4% from the field and 36.4% from 3-point range.
Since Jan. 1, he has been held to five or fewer points in eight games, playing at least 18 minutes in six of them. During that same span, he’s also scored 15 or more on 50% shooting or better in seven games.
“Hopefully, if he’s getting playoff minutes, he’s humming offensively,” Booth said, “which hasn’t always been there.”
If he is humming, Strawther can lend spacing to lineups that are otherwise short on shooters. Think Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson and Russell Westbrook — though all three have exceeded expectations this season from the 3-point line. On the other hand, Strawther might need to share the floor with players of a more established defensive ilk to cover for any potential deficiencies.
If he doesn’t get playoff minutes, the limitations would likely leave Malone with a seven-man rotation.
In Phoenix last Saturday, the Nuggets were liberal in giving up switches early on. The Suns started going after Strawther, until Denver changed its approach against ball screens. Strawther started showing and recovering more often.
“It’s also my job to help find ways to keep him on the floor and try to protect him,” Malone said.
Malone has largely praised Strawther’s development throughout this season, even identifying silver linings in his off-ball defense and game-plan awareness. But the playoffs can be a cruel domain, where every potential weakness is sniffed out and attacked.
Those are dilemmas for after the break, though. First, Strawther can enjoy the spotlight in a low-stakes environment Friday. If his team wins, he’ll advance to Sunday’s mini-tournament against the NBA All-Stars.
“I know that he was an injury replacement, but I don’t care. He’s still going,” Malone said. “And to be around some of the best young players in the NBA, in the world, you look at yourself a little differently. ‘I’m one of the few guys. There are a lot of guys that are not here.’
“… That kid works his butt off, and I have to remind myself — I think we all have to remind ourselves — he’s only in his second year. We need him to be an offensive weapon off the bench. That’s a tall order, one that he fully embraces.”