"Coach, looks like the Nuggets are trying to wear Jokić down."
Mike Brown leaned over and whispered to Malone.
"Who? Jokić?"
Malone blinked, then rubbed his ear like he hadn't heard it right.
"That big lazy guy ever run out of energy?"
Only someone like George Karl—an old-school, textbook-style coach—could come up with such a strategy.
Our Jokic? The guy doesn't even like breaking a sweat!
If he gets tired mid-game, he just slows down and coasts!
Besides, he's naturally built for endurance. Trying to drain him? Good luck with that.
"If that's their plan, it's great news for us," Malone said with a grin, visibly relaxing.
His own pre-game strategy focused on perimeter offense anyway. Jokić's job was mainly to draw defenders and stretch the floor.
That kind of role barely used any energy.
At this rate, even if the Nuggets tried all game, they still wouldn't wear him out.
Just a moment ago, Denver had run a pick-and-roll that gave Emmanuel Mudiay a chance to go one-on-one with Jokić.
Chen Yilun had always been intrigued by Mudiay's game—a talented guard with raw potential who never quite found his rhythm in the league.
The year before the draft, Mudiay made headlines for skipping college and training independently under professional-level programs—a bold move that drew plenty of attention at the time.
Even back then, scouts praised his court vision, athleticism, and leadership for his age, calling him one of the most complete guards in his class.
Many later blamed his decline on poor coaching early in his career, but that was unfair.
Sure, his unconventional path to the NBA slightly hurt his draft stock—dropping him from a projected No.1 pick to seventh overall—but teams still viewed him as a top-tier prospect.
The real reasons for his decline were simple: he held the ball too long, turned it over too often, and never developed a consistent jumper.
As a young guard with potential, he'd made every mistake in the book.
Those flaws eventually turned him into a journeyman, out of the league after just five seasons.
But in this timeline, Mudiay was still Denver's developmental focus—so much so that Jamal Murray had to come off the bench for him.
Now, facing Mudiay dribbling endlessly in front of him,
Jokić stood calmly just inside the three-point line, completely unbothered.
Malone had told him in the pre-game meeting that Mudiay's outside shooting sat at around 20%—no real threat at all.
Let him shoot.
Seeing Jokić so composed made Mudiay hesitate.
His biggest weapon had always been driving to the basket to score or draw contact.
After a moment's pause, knowing he couldn't rely on his jumper, Mudiay gritted his teeth, crossed over, and drove straight for the paint.
To everyone's surprise, Jokić didn't even move—he just let him go.
"Huh?"
Mudiay hadn't expected that. His steps faltered for a split second.
But then he thought, A free lane? No way I'm passing that up.
He took a long stride and charged into the lane.
Just as Jokić opened the path, Durant—who'd been defending in the corner—stretched out his long leg and slid right into Mudiay's driving lane.
The moment Durant helped, Wilson Chandler was left open in the corner, but Butler instantly rotated from the 45-degree mark to cover him.
As for Barton?
Jokić, already positioned at the top of the key, needed only a small step to cut off his passing lane.
In just seconds, the Kings' three-man rotation defense had completely snuffed out Denver's attack.
Seeing Durant already set in the paint, Mudiay felt a chill run down his spine.
But he was already in motion—no turning back, and no open passing lane in sight.
So he went for it.
SMACK!
The miracle Mudiay was hoping for never came.
Durant raised his long arm and met him at the rim with a clean, emphatic block.
The ball shot out of bounds like a frightened bird.
"Yeah!"
Durant landed, roaring as he pumped his fists.
Butler rushed over and chest-bumped him in celebration.
"Timeout! Timeout!"
Seeing his entire game plan crumble, George Karl immediately called his first timeout.
As his players trudged back to the bench, Karl rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
He'd known this game would be tough—but not this tough.
"Mudiay, take a breather. Murray, you're up."
Karl quickly substituted his young guard, hoping Murray's shooting could spark something.
…
Meanwhile, on the other bench—
"Keep playing like that!"
Malone waved his spotless whiteboard. "Don't let them breathe! Pressure them at every spot on the floor. Let's end this by the third quarter!"
The Kings' players grinned from ear to ear.
Who didn't enjoy an easy, dominant win?
"We'll run the weak-side action from the 45-degree angle," Malone said, finally picking up his marker to draw.
"CJ, run the standard Diamond set—attack Murray. Jimmy, set a screen here to draw their help defenders and free up shooting lanes for CJ and Booker."
"Got it!"
Butler nodded, barely even sweating.
"What about me?"
Durant finally spoke up after realizing his name hadn't come up once.
"You?"
Malone looked confused for a second before realizing he really hadn't given Durant an assignment.
"Oh—right, totally forgot. Kevin, just stay in the corner. If Jokić misses a rotation, help out on defense."
I'm a corner-spot-up guy now?!
Durant stared at him, wide-eyed.
He was the Western Conference's All-Star vote leader, the league's scoring champ, an MVP—and now he was just supposed to sit in the corner like a role player?
And did Malone just say he forgot him?
Seeing Durant's stunned expression, Malone quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Hey Kevin, relax. You'll get plenty of chances to shine later. Just take it easy for these first two games."
Durant still looked unconvinced, so Butler pulled him aside.
"That's how it is here. We've got too many weapons. I went through the same thing when I joined—you'll get used to it."
Scratching his head, Durant walked back toward the court, half amused, half confused.
"So this is what it's like when a team's stacked with talent?"
"I can just… take it easy?!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser