David Adelman Defends Starting Lineup Change in Nuggets vs. Jazz

The Denver Nuggets have had as many injuries this season as any team in the NBA, causing them to constantly shift their lineups around. Unfortunately, they have struggled to find consistency, but some of the changes have proven successful.

In Monday's win over the Utah Jazz, the Nuggets were playing without Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, Spencer Jones, and Peyton Watson. With four forwards sidelined, Nuggets coach David Adelman was forced to experiment. The Nuggets rolled out a starting lineup of Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, Jonas Valanciunas, and Nikola Jokic.

This was the first time this season the Nuggets have tried out a two-center starting lineup with Valanciunas and Jokic together, but Adelman defended the decision after the game.

"It actually went really well," Adelman said. "I think we ended up being a plus-ten with those guys out there. A lot of it was that I thought that was how they were going to guard us. I thought Jonas could attack the offensive glass. We got some high-low action. There were times it wasn't pretty. It's going to happen because we haven't done it a lot, and we don't practice a lot to script it. I was trying to find ways to get Jonas more minutes."

Jonas Valanciunas starts alongside Nikola Jokic

In 17 minutes of action in Monday's win, Valanciunas finished with 13 points and six rebounds on 4-6 shooting from the field, with a team-high plus-ten rating. This was Valanciunas' fifth start with the Nuggets, but first alongside Jokic. Luckily, it resulted in a win, but this was a bold decision by Adelman.

The two European centers have shared the court for just 43 minutes this season, but in their limited reps together, they have a net rating of +20.3. When the Nuggets have a backup center with as much talent and experience as Valanciunas, it does not hurt to experiment with him in the same frontcourt as their three-time NBA MVP.

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With that being said, though, this is not a lineup set up for long-term success. While their on-court rating together shows it has been successful, the Nuggets thrive with a legitimate power forward next to Jokic. Aaron Gordon is the perfect player to have alongside the Serbian superstar, yet many people have underestimated his impact, as Denver is just 5-8 in its last 13 games without him in the lineup.

It would be far more interesting if the Nuggets had a better interior defender at center to play alongside Jokic, but Valanciunas does not bring much to the table in that department. Still, Adelman was proven correct in Monday's game, even if it was not the prettiest lineup.

The Nuggets now move on to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, and with some key injuries still to monitor, it is possible that we see Valanciunas in the starting lineup again. However, as long as Gordon, Watson, Jones, or Johnson are available, one of them would likely get the starting nod over the team's backup center.