Michael Malone was the only head coach that Nikola Jokic had ever had in the NBA, but it appears that the partnership may have run its course.
Matt Moore of Action Network reported Tuesday on the Denver Nuggets star Jokic’s role in the shock firing of Malone by the team. Moore notes that Jokic did not request a coaching change and was only informed of the news earlier in the day before it was announced. However, Moore also reports that Jokic’s evident frustration with this season played a part in the decision-making process of Denver ownership.
Malone had been the head coach of the Nuggets since 2015, which was also when Jokic was drafted by the team. Under Malone’s leadership, Jokic blossomed into a seven-time All-Star and three-time NBA MVP, also serving as the centerpiece of the Denver team that won the championship in 2023.
But the Nuggets have lost every single game that they have played so far in the month of April and are now 47-32 on the season, which has them on the verge of falling into the NBA play-in tournament. As we had been hearing for several months now, Malone also reportedly had fundamental disagreements with GM Calvin Booth (who was fired by the team on Tuesday as well).
As for Jokic, he had indeed sounded very frustrated with the state of affairs for the team from the very beginning of the season. Though it would have run contrary to Jokic’s reputation for him to directly request a coaching change, it looks like his non-verbal language spoke loudly enough to ownership.
Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke has since hinted at why exactly the team chose to fire Malone and Booth. But with just three games left in the regular season, it is obviously a major roll-of-the-dice for Denver, even with a star of Jokic’s caliber leading the charge for them.
