The Nuggets coach spoke about a second-half decision he made that was rooted in “trust”
In the third quarter of the Denver Nuggets’ eventual 112-109 win over the Houston Rockets on Nov. 21, Nikola Jokić was called for his fourth foul of the evening.
Once Jokić assured head coach David Adelman he “was good” to remain in the game with four fouls, Adelman said he felt fine continuing to play his star center, citing the trust he has to have in his star players.
“[Jokić’s] so smart, man,” Adelman said during the postgame press conference. “He’s got high IQ. Didn’t use his hands for a while, just kind of played. So you have to trust someone like that that’s been through so many of these games. And I think, we got him to the three-minute mark, that was kind of the goal. And we stayed where we kind of were in the game. And that allowed me to get him out to get him back to start the fourth. I felt like it was teetering a little bit to start that quarter. So yeah, you have to trust your main guys, especially a guy that’s been through everything in this league.”
Jokić did in fact prove he could be trusted, as he ultimately played carefully and did not foul out. He finished the game with 34 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists – just one assist shy of what would have been his 10th triple-double to start the 2025-2026 season.
The three-time MVP was not the only one to light up the box score, however, as Jamal Murray was another player who left his imprint on the game. Like Jokić, he tallied a double-double as well with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Adelman spoke about Denver’s play once Aaron Gordon was ruled out with a right hamstring strain in the first quarter, shedding some light on the depth of his team.
“There’s depth and there’s belief,” Adelman said. “There’s 2K teams that look fun to play with and there’s teams that just stick together and just play their role out. And I was proud of the guys, I pulled guys in and out…So yes, we have depth, but with depth [you] have to have a winning attitude about you, that we can get it done together regardless of what five finish the game.”
If Gordon is out for an extended period – which, it is still unclear if he will play in the team’s next game against the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 22 – then that “depth” and “belief” is what will be Denver’s calling card moving forward. And the Nuggets have certainly already proven it to be, given how well they’ve fared with their 12-3 record to start the season despite some players missing games here and there.