MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Getting JaVale McGee on the court isn’t as easy as it seems. Especially for Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, who has been burned by chemistry issues stemming from ever-changing rotations.
That has been the biggest part of his hesitation to jam McGee into a game, although he’s been available to play recently after recovering from a lower left leg strain. Thursday night against Memphis, McGee got his first taste of action since Dec. 5, starting in the third quarter.
But big minutes aren’t in McGee’s immediate future.
“It’s tough because guys are already settled into their rotation,” Shaw said. “He hasn’t had a chance to really practice and really work. It would cost someone else their minutes to try to get him in the game. So I’m still trying to work that through in my head.”
Fresh on Shaw’s mind has been the struggles Randy Foye and Danilo Gallinari experienced upon coming back from their injuries.
“I don’t want to make the same mistake like I did a week ago when Gallo and Randy came back and kind of just put them out there when they are not ready yet,” Shaw said. “And throw everybody else’s rhythm off on top of that.”
Shaw pledged to keep a good eye on McGee when he’s on the court. Because while McGee says he’s ready, he also reports sometimes being sore in the area around the tibia during and after workouts.
“If I put him out there and I see him hobbling, I have to keep an eye on that and maybe yank him out of the game,” Shaw said.
A new favorite? Shaw was asked who his favorite Nugget is, which is usually a throwaway question, but this had a little intrigue behind it.
Shaw’s response: “Well, it was (Timofey) Mozgov. But now it’s (Jusuf) Nurkic. He’s our biggest project, so I’m enjoying him a lot.”
