There was a point this season in which Nuggets coach Brian Shaw lamented not being able to get starting point guard Ty Lawson enough rest.
Now? Let’s say that’s no longer a problem.
In fact, things are swinging in the other direction.
With the Nuggets playing out the string this season, Shaw is thinking more and more about reducing Lawson’s minutes to save on unnecessary wear and tear.
“I do think about the fact that we’re not going to the playoffs, and at what point do I start to kind of back off on playing Ty as many minutes as he’s been playing, and some of the other guys?” Shaw said. “You want to look at the young guys; you want to look at the new guys and stay competitive as well. It’s something that definitely is in the back of my mind and I continue to toy with and think about every day.”
Lawson was averaging a career-high 36.5 minutes per game going into Sunday’s contest against New Orleans. Shaw said it wouldn’t be difficult to break the news of a court time reduction. “You just do it,” he said.
“I’ve already talked to the team in terms of letting them know that I’m going to take a look at some of the other guys and that their minutes would be decreasing,” Shaw said. “So I don’t think that there’s an issue with that. I’m just trying to get them in the minutes that they are out there, to play as hard as they can.”
No Nurkic. Nuggets rookie center Jusuf Nurkic’s ankle is so swollen, Shaw said it looked like an extension of his leg. And that has led him to believe that Nurkic will be out “for a while.”
“It’s really, really swollen,” Shaw said. “My gut tells me he’ll be out for a while, if he comes back at all. So, it just depends on how soon he heals. And really, there’s no need for him to try to rush back. I think the thing here is just to try to get it right so that going into the offseason he’s healthy and he can get back to working on things, looking forward to next season.”
