Nuggets center Joffrey Lauvergne, left, pulls in a rebound against Chicago on Feb. 5. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
BROOKLYN — Nuggets coach Michael Malone is hoping to get forward/center Joffrey Lauvergne more playing time, to the point where he’s ready to take additional steps to make it a priority.
In some respects, it’s already happening.
In the three games leading into Monday night’s contest at Brooklyn, Lauvergne averaged roughly 20 minutes per game, with a high of 28 minutes in the Nuggets’ win over New York on Sunday afternoon. Lauvergne responded in that game by putting up a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
In the four games prior to that stretch, Lauvergne did not play in three of them, was inactive for one of those, and played just three minutes in the other. So the effort to get Lauvergne, who initially won the starting center job out of training camp but lost it after suffering a back injury, more time on the court has begun.
“I think every opportunity you give Joffrey he kind of takes advantage of, and I think he’s played well,” Malone said. “What I love about him is what fans and most media don’t see; how hard he works before practice, off days, after practice. The guy is really, really committed to improving as a player. And that’s who we’re trying to be. That’s the kind of culture we’re trying to create, a work culture. And Joffrey really embodies that. So when there’s an opportunity for him to play, and a matchup for him to play against, we’re going to try to get him out there and let him do his thing.”
Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com
