Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has been ranked as the 12th best head coach in the NBA by Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale.
This is great for the Nuggets and their fans as Malone ranked above high-profile coaches such as Doc Rivers, Scott Brooks, Tyronn Lue and Billy Donovan.
The article highlights Malone’s ability to run with what he has, rather than force any unrealistic expectations on his players. This is one of the many reasons Malone is a good coach that is striving to become great
Matt Moore of CBS Sports highlights Malone’s ability to motivative his boys and build a solid unit of players, saying:
“The players believe in him, and the culture change from the chaos of the Brian Shaw era to what Malone established along with veterans like Jameer Nelson and Mike Miller was night and day from the ‘put your cell phones in this box‘ era. Of note, in a season where nearly every significant player (Wilson Chandler, Nurkic, Gallinari, and Mudiay to name a few) missed major time with injury, Denver improved slightly on both offense and defense statistically.”
The Nuggets have one of if not the brightest future of all rebuilding team’s in the NBA and Malone’s change of culture and influence is a driving factor behind that.
Malone also plays a compassionate role in his players day-to-day life, from off the court to game time.
“Kids are so different today. You have to build them up,” Malone told Michael Lee of Yahoo sports. “Make sure they know that you love them, because if they don’t think you love them and you do that [get overly critical and negative], you lose them like that. I think that goes a long way. Some players may think, I am just an asset. I am just a position. I am just a stat. Whereas if you want to get the most out of them, you have to get to know them.”
Overall, Malone has done things right both on and off the court in his short time leading the calvary.
His sophomore season will be a test, but the stepping stones have been placed for a bright future filled of success with Malone and the Nuggets organization.
