BOULDER — When Trey Lyles was traded to the Nuggets on draft night, he did not see himself joining an already crowded position group.
He saw an opportunity.
Lyles’ goal to crack the Nuggets’ rotation officially begins during Saturday’s preseason opener at Golden State. But Lyles is part of a larger task for coach Michael Malone, who must figure out how to best distribute the power forward minutes behind newly acquired all-star Paul Millsap.
“We have so many guys that can fill that backup spot,” Malone said. “Itap not just the one person. Itap the fit on the floor with the players around them. (Itap a) great problem to have, and we’re just going to continue to watch and see how that unfolds.”
Lyles and are the top contenders in what Malone declared an “open competition” this week. Faried has strongly expressed his desire to be a starter and continues to bring his trademark “Manimal” motor to practices at training camp.
The Nuggets also could go small at that spot with or , or big with Mason Plumlee pairing with . , who is coming off a knee injury, and first-round draft pick Tyler Lydon are options too.
But Malone has expressed an early fondness for how Plumlee and Lyles complement each other. Plumlee is an athletic facilitator, finisher and rim protector at center, while Lyles has playmaking skills and shooting range.
“I can space out a little bit more with having him down there,” Lyles said of Plumlee.
Lyles, who averaged 6.2 points per game for Utah last season but saw his shooting percentage dip from .438 as a rookie in 2015-16 to .362, looks more explosive to Malone after trimming 15 pounds off his 6-foot-10 frame. Lyles said he feels more freedom with the Nuggets, that his unselfish style fits this offense that relies heavily on ball movement. And he’s learning every day from matching up against Millsap, who is crafty on offense and masterfully uses his hands and feet on defense.
“You never know what he’s going to do,” Lyles said of Millsap. “He’s a tough challenge for me to guard, but itap good for me. I’m challenging myself to stay down and try to keep him in front of me and keep him from scoring.”
Next up for Lyles and the Denver power forwards: the defending NBA champion Warriors, who deploy a pecking order at that position of all-star Draymond Green, David West and rookie Jordan Bell.
Itap the first public glimpse at Denver’s underrated-yet-intriguing position battle, as Malone aims to set his rotation.
“Ultimately, I’ll have to make some tough decisions that are best for our team,” the coach said.
No decision on starting point guard for preseason opener
Malone said after practice Friday that he hadn’t decided whether or would start at point guard in Saturday’s preseason opener at Golden State.
Murray and Mudiay have alternated in that role during practices, with Mudiay holding that spot during Thursday nightap session and Murray running the first team Friday in a scrimmage that Malone said “went down to the wire.” Malone added that Murray was “much more effective (Friday) than the last couple practices” and called Mudiay’s performance “steady.”
remains out with a toe injury and isn’t expected to play against the Warriors.
Millsap has “best practice — by far”
Malone called Friday’s morning session “Paul Millsap’s best practice — by far,” adding that Millsap and Jokic meshed well with crisp ball exchanges in the post.
“He asserted himself. He was confident,” Malone said of Millsap. “We made sure we were getting him the ball where he was most effective, and he made plays for himself and those around him. It was great to see Paul start to feel a little bit more comfortable and confident in the offense.”
Quotable
Malone, on beginning the preseason against the defending champion Warriors: “They wanted us to play somebody else, but I said, ‘We kind of own the Warriors, so letap play those guys.’ … We have played them well. I don’t know if itap a good matchup, or whatever it is. But itap a heck of a challenge. First game, letap go play against the best team in the world.”
