Michael Malone Slams Nuggets for Lack of Conditioning: 'The League Has Gotten So Soft'

Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone challenged most of his starters Sunday night by playing them for the entire third quarter of the 118–114 preseason loss to the Phoenix Suns at Ball Arena.

Malone did so intentionally to test his roster's current physique.

"[I] tried to push their envelope a little bit," Malone said. "That was probably a little bit hard on some of those guys. And then in practice, I think we can get up and down more. ... The league has gotten so soft; everybody's afraid to condition and run. We have to."

Michael Malone: “The league has gotten so soft. Everybody’s afraid to condition and run. Well, we have to.”

Some Nuggets players aren’t in great shape, and Malone made that clear last night. It’s a reason why he played most of his starters the entire 3rd quarter. pic.twitter.com/adKt4JEpM7
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) October 14, 2024

The Nuggets played well into June in 2023 while securing their first championship in franchise history but ran out of gas last season, falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in seven games in the Western Conference semifinals.

Denver enters the 2024-25 campaign as one of the favorites to emerge out of the West once again. But if the Nuggets plan to be around late in the postseason again, it appears their coach believes they have their work cut out for them.

“I don’t think we’re in great condition right now, and that’s one thing we talked about as coaches during the game,” Malone said. “Looked like some guys are just winded and a little tired out there. So that’s something that we can try to improve upon.”

The Nuggets have two preseason games remaining on their schedule before they open the regular season Oct. 24 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.