David Adelman may have resorted to the Denver Nuggets star amid concerns of obvious fatigue in the second round.
The Denver Nuggets experienced major changes in the 2025 NBA playoffs when they parted ways with manager Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.
The decision was pointless at the time, but it became clear that over the coming weeks the two were inadequately affecting the roster.
Malone was replaced by longtime assistant coach David Adelman. The Adelman Nuggets reached the semi-finals of the conference, but were eliminated in seven games by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Considering the stage where Adelman took over the team, he did a commendable job of leading the team to the second round.
But that’s when his lack of experience was exploited by lightning. All the major stars were exhausted as the nuggets were performing short rotations.
In fact, star forward Aaron Gordon played Grade 2 hamstring stock in Game 7. However, Director Adelman could have avoided this if he watched the bench and played Zeke Nnaji.
Nnaji played in just 25 minutes in five games throughout the playoffs. However, he was barely able to make an impact due to his unclear role on the roster.
The previous 22nd overall pick has already spent five years with the nuggets. Nnaji was also a member of the Nuggets’ 2023 NBA Championship winner roster.
However, Nnaji’s usage has been decreasing average for him 17.0 minutes per game since his sophomore season. Nugget nevertheless gave him a contract extension worth $32 million over four years.
Certainly, he makes under $10 million a year, but it makes no sense to have the major stars sit on the bench when they’re tired.
The real kicker is the fact that Nnaji is in his first year of a four-year contract with the team. Unless the Nuggets trade him in the offseason, manager Adelman should really try to find Nnaji’s location in the rotation.