Peyton Watson’s story offered a clear reminder of what the Denver Nuggets lost when Michael Malone was fired three games before the start of the 2025 playoffs.
Watson, speaking during his interview with Michael Porter Jr. on Porter’s podcast, Curious Mike, described a moment from his time on the Nuggets scouting team that showed exactly how Malone operated. Watson said he blanked on the name of a play while he was preparing to guard Kevin Durant.
"I remember just being like, ‘I don’t know.’ I really just don’t know.
I didn’t know. His face turned red, bro, and he just started chewing me out.
‘You’re the youngest one in here. You should be paying attention.
We give you a book with all the plays on it. You should know these things,'" Watson said Malone told him.
Watson said the exchange stuck with him in the right way.
"I remember feeling embarrassed. But at the same time, I felt embarrassed because I didn’t know.
He asked me a question, and I wasn’t prepared to answer it. Since then, I’ve always been hyper-focused on the game plan, the scout.
I know everything now.”
That kind of edge is exactly what some believe the Nuggets have been missing ever since Malone was replaced by David Adelman. The team looked too easy to play against in its first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, especially after Jaden McDaniels labeled Denver "bad defenders" after Game 2.
Adelman didn’t come back with much, and the Nuggets kept getting attacked at the rim without showing much resistance. The lack of pushback stood out. Malone, by contrast, built his reputation on bringing heat, demanding accountability and leaning into that hard-nosed style that made him the franchise’s winningest coach and the first to deliver an NBA championship to Denver.
That’s the piece that feels absent now. Adelman is not Malone, and he never will be. Chris Finch brought more of that same forceful presence for Minnesota, and the Timberwolves kept pressing the issue while Denver never really answered.
For all the talk about whether players prefer a softer voice, the Nuggets’ recent stretch has only made the old Malone approach look more valuable. Watson’s comments just sharpen that point.
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