If the Nuggets have nine “real guys” good enough to play in the rotation of any team in the NBA, as chief executive Calvin Booth claims This is pre-season, so is the 10th player a starter or a backup?

this is the puzzle michael malone to solve every night. Regardless of who starts, the Nuggets enter the 2024-25 season with five starters and four bench players on Thursday and will likely continue their daily rotations. Naturally, this leaves an open spot in Malone’s second unit.

Rotations may be repeated any number of times throughout the year to account for injuries, matchups, or performance-based adjustments. That’s life in the NBA. Nothing can be too permanent. However, Malone generally likes to settle into a certain line with his substitution patterns. In simplest terms, he would need 10 bodies to complete two five-man units; whether it’s 10 different actors or some of the same actors working in dual roles.

“For years we’ve generally had Jamal (Murray) and/or Nikola (Jokic) have one of them in the game,” Malone said when asked about that balance this week. “And I’m not saying whether we’ll do it again this year or not. But in the past, if you had to take one of your starters and bring him back (with the second unit), now, if you’re bringing one guy back, it becomes really difficult to move the five guys off the bench. But we will see what is the best thing to start this season, how we play and what we need. Of course, we will determine all rotations accordingly.”

First, Sharpie’s healthy nine rotation players: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, Russell Westbrook, Peyton Watson and Dario Saric. Second unit? Westbrook is at point guard, Strawther (or Braun) is at shooting guard, Watson is at small forward, and Saric is at power forward or center.

So, the most natural fit to complete this roster would be a power forward or center. Malone could get more use off the bench if he wants to cut into his starting minutes with a 10-man rotation. It could include DeAndre Jordan, Zeke Nnaji or Vlatko Cancar, each serving different purposes. (When the Nuggets were rebuilding their roster this offseason, they had DaRon Holmes II in mind, until he arrived. He tore his Achilles tendon.)

Or Malone could surprise at least one starter, as he has done in the past. From a position and fit perspective, Porter might make the most sense this year. He technically plays small forward on the starting unit, but Denver worked him at the four a little bit during training camp. He is 1.80 tall. He averaged a career-high 7 rebounds last season. He would also add a shooting threat to a unit that otherwise lacks floor space, which would create more breathing room for Westbrook’s dribbling game.

But interestingly, in Denver’s portion open to reporters on Monday, Jokic played on a team consisting of Westbrook, Strawther, Watson and Saric.

“I think we need to do that to give teams a different look in a game,” Jokic said later when asked about shuffling the lineups. “I like playing with someone else. So why not?”

So, could the three-time MVP falter more on the second unit than he has in the past?

“Nikola needs to be able to play with a lot of players,” Malone said. “We always laugh when everyone says, ‘This guy plays better with Nikola.’ Of course it is. But unfortunately not everyone can play with Nikola because Nikola cannot play for 48 minutes. At least not to start the season. So it’s great to have him on the field with Jamal, Christian or Julian, Michael and Aaron. It’s also (good) to put him on the field with Dario, Vlatko, Hunter (Tyson), Zeke and those guys. Because frankly, when he’s out there, he’s a great guy to play with. And what you love most about Nikola is his ability to make all these guys better.”

As Malone said, his rule of thumb over the years has been to always keep Jokic or Murray on the court. Usually this means Murray is the one on the bench staggering through heavy lineups.

Don’t ignore that as we develop this season. Malone isn’t afraid to play Murray alongside other point guards. He frequently paired Murray and Reggie Jackson last year, and this preseason he’s used lineups featuring both Murray and Westbrook.