Despite a quality win from the Denver Nuggets on Monday, NBA insider Tim Bontemps wasn’t pleased in the slightest. After the Nuggets sat Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Christian Braun, he thought it was a bad representation of the league.
On Get Up, Bontemps sounded off regarding their absences in the game.
“It’s a horrible look for the league,” Bontemps said on X (formerly Twitter). “This is why the NBA put in the player participation policy.”
The player participation policy fines teams for resting players without probable cause. While the Nuggets had a back-t0-back set on Monday and Tuesday, he didn’t see it as an excuse.
After all, Denver has the third seed, and losing any games could slide them further and further down the standings. If losses were to truly pile up, they could see themselves in the play-in game.
However, resting the team’s top three scorers didn’t seem to phase head coach Michael Malone. Still, the Nuggets went to the 2023 NBA Finals and won the entire thing.
Sitting players might be the least of his worries. While it could be done to keep his players fresh, Bontemps felt some type of way.
The Nuggets were ripped for not having Nikola Jokic and others
Granted this was a back-to-back set, but it goes against what the NBA has established with the player participation policy. Unless there is a legitimate injury, players are supposed to play. If not, the team will be fined.
Still, it hasn’t prevented some criticism, even from within the team. As a result, Jokic was brutally honest on the state of the Nuggets.
While he mentioned defense being the key culprit, having adequate rest is essential as well. Guys are playing high 30s and even into the low 40s for minutes throughout the past couple of weeks.
At some point, the team could hit a wall and stall out. This would not be the time to have that happen. The playoffs are less than a month away and the Nuggets need all the firepower they can get.
With Jokic competing for another MVP award, he alone has been the biggest person to be concerned about his health. Playing as many minutes could call for whatever action necessary to take place.
That might just be resting him and facing a fine from the league. Although it drives insiders and likely many fans crazy, resting players could be essential heading into the playoffs.
If the Nuggets win the whole thing, this conversation might not surface again.
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