Michael Malone not hitting the panic button despite Nuggets' 0-4 preseason record

Yesterday at 08:39 PM

The Denver Nuggets have played four preseason games and have still yet to secure a win.

Their most recent loss came at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who blew out the Nuggets 124-94.

The Nuggets were without some of their biggest names, as Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Russell Westbrook, and Peyton Watson didn’t play. While preseason games don’t count, the Nuggets have looked exhausted. Concerningly, they’ve also shown some glaring weaknesses early.

Despite remaining winless in the preseason, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone isn’t hitting the panic button yet.

"Listen, man, there's no panic,” Malone said postgame. “There are concerns, of course, There are. We have lots of areas that we can prove upon, but I know that when we're fully healthy and we have our guys playing, I know what this team is capable of, and it's my job in these next 9 days to help us get there for opening night as we approach the regular season, and you know, I look forward to that challenge."

Glaring concerns early for winless Nuggets

While Malone reassured the media that he is not worried about his team, he didn’t sugarcoat his feelings and his team’s effort in the losing streak. The Nuggets bench, which many analysts have criticized for being very shallow depth-wise, has struggled mightily in the preseason so far.

“That group has gotten ample opportunities but has struggled to go out there and play at a high level,” Malone said of his bench players.

For the second consecutive game, Malone was critical of the Nuggets’ three-point defense. Against the Suns in the third preseason game, Malone went as far as saying the Nuggets ‘got their ass kicked’ from three. In the fourth preseason game, The Thunder would shoot 37% from three-point range. At many points during the game, Thunder players were left wide open for three-point attempts.

Malone was also unhappy with the Nuggets transition defense. The Nuggets would also allow 38 points off of turnovers.

"I mentioned pregame that my biggest concerns: Can we take care of the ball and keep them out of transition?" said Malone. "And we failed miserably in that regard."

While the Nuggets defense struggled, their offense started hot but slowly started to fizzle out. Michael Porter Jr. would lead the way with 15 points. Julian Strawther and Trey Alexander would follow closely behind with 12 points each.

The Nuggets will have one last opportunity to get a win in the preseason as they are set to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.

The post Michael Malone not hitting the panic button despite Nuggets’ 0-4 preseason record appeared first on ClutchPoints.