Michael Malone Reveals Nuggets' Strategy Around Nikola Jokić for Championship Roster

Michael Malone knows the championship window in the NBA can be finite—even with a player as talented as Nikola Jokić—so the Denver Nuggets coach said the team emphasized versatility when building their roster to maximize their potential.

"I remember having a conversation where we said, 'Listen, we have a special, unique player, and that window is only open so long,'" Malone told Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic.

"So while that window is open, we have to do everything we can to surround Nikola Jokić with the pieces that are going to allow us to be a championship-caliber team. And even then, there's no guarantee you get to this point. Things have to break your way. Luck always comes into play. So we talked about how we've got to get bigger. We have to get some better defensive players. More versatility. We talked about watching last year's NBA Finals (between Boston and Golden State), and how everybody on the floor could shoot the ball and guard multiple positions."

The strategy paid off, with the Nuggets locking down their first title in franchise history Monday night. Jokić was his typically brilliant self, finishing with 28 points, 16 rebounds and four assists in the Nuggets' 94-89 win over the Miami Heat.

The two-time MVP averaged 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists over the course of the series on his way to unanimously being named Finals MVP.

The championship was a culmination of another pivotal decision for Malone: his insertion of Jokić as the team's full-time starting center. Jokić's playing time was inconsistent and he was often forced to play out of position at the 4 early in his career as the Nuggets attempted to make the pairing of Jokić and Jusuf Nurkic work. Malone said the franchise's course changed when he trusted his gut and made Jokić a full-time center.

"I'm talking to myself," Malone told ESPN. "This kid was All-Rookie as a center and here I am bringing him off the bench and playing him as a 4 and a 5. And I said, 'Screw everything.' Nikola's a center. He's our center. And the next game, I started him at center. From that point in time, our offense, our team, our winning, everything just went straight up.

"I made a decision that he would become the focal point of everything we do, every decision we make, every player we bring in has to be somebody that can play with and complement Nikola."

"Now knowing what this means, it was just a really truly defining moment in this franchise's history because I think everything at that point in time changed and changed for the better. ... It was the best decision I ever made."

Denver's Game 5 victory featured five players scoring in double figures, including offseason acquisitions Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown, who brought the exact type of positional diversity Malone desired. Brown will likely decline his $6.8 million player option for next season and almost certainly priced himself out of Denver, which will give the Nuggets front office a rotational challenge as they look for a repeat.

That said, that's a challenge for next month. For now, Malone and the rest of the Denver brain trust can celebrate a job well done.