One of the biggest questions around the Denver Nuggets all season long has been which players can be trusted when the chips are down? Nikola Jokic is as reliable as it gets, Jamal Murray runs the show on offense, and Aaron Gordon does the same on defense. Beyond that, almost everything was up in the air.

Guys rose and fell throughout the year, but even as the playoffs began, it wasn’t fully clear who was in the trust tree, who would get minutes off the bench, and who would close out close games in crunch time.

In something of a surprise, Russell Westbrook proved to be the only reliable bench player, and one of the only players on the team providing the necessary energy for a high-stakes game like this one. His electricity off the bench helped spark a 15-point comeback and get the team out to a 1-0 lead in the series.

Conversely, Michael Porter Jr. brought almost zero energy to the game as a starter. He failed to make an impact on either end of the floor and was almost invisible in a game when his team badly needed his offense and shooting. He disappeared for long stretches, and when he did take shots, he wasn’t making them.

Nuggets bench MPJ, ride with Westbrook down the stretch

And in accordance with what was happening on the floor, and being true to his word about playing with no agendas, David Adelman pulled the plug on the struggling Porter Jr. in favor of Westbrook down the stretch of regulation and for overtime.

It was a bold decision, but it clearly proved to be the right one. Westbrook helped trigger the comeback with one clutch play after another down the stretch, and the Nuggets wouldn’t have pulled off this win without him. He ended up with 15 points, 8 rebounds (4 offensive), 3 assists, and 2 steals while the team was a +7 in his 34 minutes.

Meanwhile, MPJ played just 26 minutes and chipped in just 3 points and 4 rebounds on 1/4 shooting, and the Nuggets were a team-worst -8 while he was on the floor. Adelman pressed all the right buttons in game one, and that’s why his team is off to a great start in this first-round series against a Clippers team that led for most of the affair.

Adelman must have short memory with his rotations

While this was clearly the right move, it should have little to no bearing on the games going forward. Adelman essentially said he’d ride the hot hand and close with the guys who deserve it on a game-by-game basis. That should be the case going forward, as we know all about the Westbrook roller-coaster.

He saved them in game one, but he can just as easily shoot them out of game two if Adelman lets him. He rode him while things were going well, and he can’t be afraid to pull the plug quickly when things go south. 

On top of that, while MPJ had a brutal game, the team is going to need him going forward. They are thin enough as is; Porter Jr. has to make a big impact shooting and scoring the ball for his team to have a chance in this series. He’ll get hot at some point, and the team would be wise to lean into it once he does.