Nuggets’ David Adelman Emphasizing Conditioning, Cohesion And Fresh Start

“New ideas are good ideas,” Adelman told reporters at his introductory news conference. “I have to give them something to come back to that excites them.”

Adelman, 42, officially shed the interim tag after leading Denver to a gritty seven-game second-round series loss to Oklahoma City. The promotion came on the heels of a seismic front office shakeup that saw the dismissal of longtime head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth — a move that sent shockwaves through NBA circles just two years removed from the franchise’s first NBA title.

Vice chairman Josh Kroenke, who made the controversial decision to part ways with both Malone and Booth in April, framed the offseason as a crossroads.

“Can they achieve that (championship) goal as currently constructed? I think the answer, as (Nikola Jokic) said after the playoffs, was no,” Kroenke said. “So we need to take a hard look at how we can raise our ceiling going forward, whether that’s internally or externally.”

Kroenke acknowledged that Denver remains in search of a permanent GM. For now, Ben Tenzer holds the role on an interim basis, with Adelman expected to be looped into the decision.

“The input will be relatively minimal,” Kroenke said, “because what I’ll be looking for is cohesion between those two.”

Adelman echoed the sentiment.

“This business is about cohesion,” he said. “It’s all about just moving forward and winning. That’s it. It’s not about finding your best friend.”

Now the challenge for Adelman becomes shaping the Nuggets in his image. That starts, he said, with fitness — both to power through the regular season and remain intact come playoff time.

“Teams that get off to great starts usually at the end of the year have the best chance of being healthy in these big games,” Adelman said. “That will be the expectation, to come back in much better shape.”

There’s also the matter of identity. Adelman, the son of longtime NBA coach Rick Adelman, credited a long list of mentors — Sam Mitchell, Frank Vogel, Flip Saunders, and Malone among them — for sharpening his approach.

“When you’re around those people and you see how they run their business and their process, it’s kind of a cheat code,” he said.

Adelman isn’t promising drastic changes in style, but hinted at adjustments centered on execution over pace.

“We have to get back to being an execution-based team,” Adelman said. “If that takes away some of our pace numbers, or whatever the analytics want to say, I think that’s OK if it wins you a game in May.”

The Nuggets face an uphill offseason. With no pick in next month’s NBA Draft and limited cap flexibility, much of the internal growth will need to come from their young core: Strawther, Peyton Watson, Jalen Pickett, and DaRon Holmes II, the 2024 first-rounder who suffered a torn Achilles in Summer League.

“We’re hungry to get better,” said Strawther. “It’s all fuel to the fire.”

Meanwhile, Jokic remains the axis, a three-time MVP whose brilliance gives Denver a puncher’s chance in any season. But Adelman knows a thinner bench and wear-and-tear ultimately doomed the Nuggets in their playoff exit.

“Look at the teams still playing,” Kroenke said. “With a little bit of help, maybe a little bit of luck, maybe it could be us. But it’s not. So we’re conscious of how we need to go about improving.”

Adelman, candid and composed, is embracing the pressure of his first full-time NBA head coaching job, and aiming to spark a new wave of energy in Denver.

“I want the players to feel like their voices matter,” Adelman said. “We’re building this together. It’s about trust. And it’s about the work.”