Amid a fierce race in the West, the Denver Nuggets chose to give their starters a rest. Russell Westbrook turned vintage, scoring 30 points in the loss to the San Antonio Spurs. But for Michael Malone, this was a chance to see how the non-regular players bode against an NBA side. At first, he thought they were “tight” as the opening quarter proved too costly. However, he did find one player who seems to be longing for a greater role.

Jalen Pickett started his third game of the season against the Spurs with a triple-double. Tonight, the 6’3″ guard landed his first career triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Likewise, Malone couldn’t go through his press conference without giving the 25-year-old his flowers.

The Nuggets head coach thought it was a “special performance” from Pickett. And although not the tallest, he plays with hunger. “I don’t think people realize how strong Jalen Pickett is, you know. What he may lack in his height he makes up four in terms of physicality and strength… He’s not afraid to get physical, he’s got a nose for the ball,” Malone said complimenting the sophomore.

But what Malone was particularly flattered with was Pickett’s willingness to rebound. At 6’3″, traditional guards aren’t expected to hunt the glass. But with Pickett, his physicality and zeal set him aside. More than that, Michael Malone feels rebounding is an art of want and not so much skill.

“Being really good rebounding comes down to a want, to a desire and I think you know Pick has shown that he has the ability to impact the game across the board like he did tonight,” the Nuggets head coach commented. And why is it important? Because that’s where the Nuggets need to work on, particularly.

The Denver Nuggets and their struggles with rebounds

Nikola Jokic ranks third in the league for rebounds per game. The Nuggets also have backup like De’Andre Jordan who pulled down 17 boards tonight. However, even with some of the better-rebounding bigs, Malone thinks since the All-Star break, their quality on the glass has depreciated.

“I mean, it feels like since the All-Star break we haven’t out-rebounded many teams. So, to win the rebound battle by six tonight and you look at it DJ at 17, Russ had 11, Jalen Pickett had 11 and we always talk about gang rebounding house, it’s not just the bigs’ responsibility. So your starting backcourt gave you 22 rebounds tonight, which is outstanding,” said the Nuggets HC.

The numbers aren’t as contrasting for it to be termed a problem. By average, the Denver Nuggets have still pulled down more rebounds than most NBA teams. However, defensively, the additional possessions have started to hurt slightly more. Prior to the All-Star break, they were allowing 14.5 second-chance points. That number is now at 15.5.

One point doesn’t seem to be a lot when seeing it from a holistic perspective. Moreover, it is less linked to rebounding and more to their defensive struggles. Michael Malone has said it frequently this season. As great as Denver’s offense runs, their defense does leak away a lot of points.

Come playoff time, having a compact defense is almost a requirement to progress deep. During their championship year, the Nuggets did have that. But right now they rank 20th in the 3-point defense. That could prove to be a huge problem in the postseason. That’s where players like Pickett, who hunt ball-handlers could prove vital.

He has been a great influence in his two starts. So maybe Malone could call his number more often in the remaining five games.