David Adelman could have relied on this Denver Nuggets star amid obvious fatigue concerns in the second round.
The Denver Nuggets went through a massive change ahead of the 2025 NBA Playoffs when they parted ways with head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.
At the time, the decision made no sense, but over the next few weeks, it was revealed that the two had a poor relationship impacting the roster.
Malone was replaced by longtime assistant coach David Adelman. While Adelman’s Nuggets made it to the conference semifinals, they were eliminated in seven games by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Considering the stage when Adelman took over the team, he did a commendable job of leading the team to the second round.
But that’s when his inexperience was taken advantage of by the Thunder. With the Nuggets running a short rotation, the primary stars were all fatigued.
In fact, star forward Aaron Gordon played in Game 7 with a grade 2 hamstring strain. However, coach Adelman could have avoided this if he had taken a look at the bench and played Zeke Nnaji.
Nnaji played in just 25 minutes over five games throughout the playoffs. But he was barely able to make any impact due to his unclear role on the roster.
The former 22nd overall pick has already spent five years with the Nuggets. Nnaji was also a member of the Nuggets’ 2023 NBA Championship-winning roster.
But Nnaji’s usage has gone down since his sophomore season, when he averaged 17.0 minutes per game. Despite that, the Nuggets handed him a contract extension worth $32 million over four years.
Sure, he’s making less than $10 million a year, but it makes no sense to have him sit on the bench when the primary stars are tired.
The real kicker is the fact that Nnaji is in Year 1 of his four-year deal with the team. Unless the Nuggets trade him in the offseason, coach Adelman should really try to find a place for Nnaji in the rotation.
