"So Nikola Jokic is the head coach again" - NBA fans stunned as Nuggets promote David Adelman to HC despite playoffs exit

The Denver Nuggets have immediately addressed one of the looming questions regarding their future. On Thursday, according to NBA insider Shams Charania's tweet on X, Denver's front office has reached an agreement with David Adelman to become the next head coach of the franchise.

Adelman took over as the interim coach after Mike Malone was surprisingly fired with only three games left in the 2024-25 regular season.

Expand Tweet

Several Nuggets fans on X are unhappy with the decision to make Adelman the new coach.

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

"So Nikola Jokic is the head coach again," one fan said.

Expand Tweet

"He sucks what lol," another fan tweeted.

"Bro couldn't even scheme the best player in the league open in a game 7. Joker took 9 shots," one fan pointed out.

Meanwhile, some fans shared their belief that he's a solid coach. A fan said that he could improve once he's had a full season as the coach.

"Firing Malone was a bad choice but Adelman has proven to be a good coach," one person said.

"I can see it working out…I still wanna know the full story with Malone though," another tweeted.

"He didnt make the proper adjustments to get Murray easier looks but im sure a full season will help," one fan shared.

Expand Tweet

The Nuggets lost four straight games before Mike Malone's firing. Once David Adelman took over, Denver bounced back and won three straight to enter the playoffs on a high note.

In the postseason, Denver battled the LA Clippers to seven games in the opening round. They also took the number one seed OKC Thunder to a Game 7 in the Western Conference semis. They were trounced 93-125 in that do-or-die showdown.

Also read: "Shot at Jokic" - NBA insider reads into Michael Malone's MVP shout for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Nikola Jokic praised David Adelman's coaching despite the Nuggets' loss to the Thunder

During the postgame press conference of Game 7's loss to OKC, Nikola Jokic was asked about David Adelman's performance as coach and his potential to take over permanently.

"It's a tough spot. He had three games to change something," Jokic said. "I think he changed the energy. I think the guys were woken up a little bit, guys had more energy. He made us believe something and we played good." (3:05-3:23)

Adelman had been an assistant with the Nuggets since 2017-18. He began his coaching career in 2011-12 as a player development coach as a part of his father, Rick Adelman's staff.

His father only coached Minnesota until the 2013-14 campaign, but David remained as an assistant coach until 2015-16. He also had a one-year stint in Orlando before coming to Denver.

About the author

Miguel is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 7 years. A lover of the sport owing to its mental aspect, he has played it throughout high school and college as a power forward and small forward, and has also coached high school and college basketball teams. These experiences have given him a unique perspective on the game, which translates into insightful content.

For Miguel, the San Antonio Spurs, especially during the Tim Duncan era, were the embodiment of team basketball. He respects Gregg Popovich's empathy toward his players and his understanding of the game. The Spurs' titles, Kobe Bryant's poignant "Dear Basketball" tribute, Derrick Rose's remarkable 50-point game with Minnesota and Magic Johnson's remarkable comeback are among Miguel's top basketball moments.

For his articles, he conducts thorough research, cross verifies information with at least three sources, and sometimes sacrifices speed for accuracy. Content simplification and maintaining a neutral view on topics are his strengths.

Miguel follows other sports, particularly the NFL, and when not working he enjoys hobbies like cooking and playing video games.

Know More

Nuggets Fan? Check out the latest Denver Nuggets depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

Edited by Alvin Amansec