The Denver Nuggets’ shocking decision to fire head coach Michael Malone continues to dominate NBA conversations, and now there‘s new revelation from Michael Porter Jr.
The move stunned fans and analysts not only because of Michael Malone’s successful tenure—which included a championship in 2023–but also due to the peculiar timing just before the postseason.
“He said he saw that we weren’t having fun,” Michael Porter Jr. explained.
“And that he saw we weren’t playing as hard as we could. So he wanted to come in here and help reestablish that as the basis of our culture.”
This revelation came during a meeting that the team owner Josh Kroenke held with the Nuggets players just one day after the organization announced Malone’s dismissal.
The focus on team culture is particularly noteworthy given how instrumental it was during their championship run.
During their title-winning campaign, the Nuggets‘ culture was thriving. Players displayed remarkable trust in one another with no visible signs of drama or tension.
But recently, there were growing indications that Malone had lost the locker room, with some suggesting he appeared indifferent to the deteriorating situation.
The team’s performance reflected these internal issues, as they suffered four consecutive losses before the coaching change.
Those include defeats to playoff contenders like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors, which currently still competing with Nuggets to get better seeding.
The impact of the coaching change was immediately evident, with the Nuggets returning to winning ways in their first game post-Malone, securing a 124-116 victory against the Sacramento Kings.
As the postseason approaches, Denver must maintain this rejuvenated culture to secure an automatic playoff spot and favorable seeding.
The challenge now is to transform this renewed energy into the winning mentality that previously led them to championship glory.
