Nuggets coach Michael Malone came to the defense of backup point guard Isaiah Thomas on Monday after shootaround in San Antonio, telling reporters that he doesn’t want anyone — including I.T. — to be a scapegoat for Denver’s recent struggles.

"I don’t want anybody on our team ever becoming a scapegoat for our collective problems." #Nuggets coach Michael Malone had a pointed message this morning for those assigning blame to veteran guard Isaiah Thomas. pic.twitter.com/aXCeMOOt0O

— Chris Dempsey (@chrisadempsey) March 4, 2019

But coach defending player aside, is the Isaiah Thomas experiment doomed to failure for the Nuggets?

Kiz: You’ve got to love point guard Isaiah Thomas. I know I do. He’s feisty and fearless on the basketball floor, stoked with the athletic arrogance necessary to take the big shot. But do you love Thomas in a Nuggets uniform? Without Thomas, Denver built an impressive record with wonderful share-the-ball chemistry during the course of 50-plus games. Then Thomas walks on the court after recovering from a hip injury and acts like the ball belongs to him. Can this possibly work?

Singer: I don’t want to tread in absolutes, but I’m skeptical that it’s ever going to work. At the heart of the matter is that the two parties (IT and the Nuggets) have potentially competing interests. Thomas needs to prove he’s still a valuable player worthy of a decent NBA contract. He hasn’t been healthy since 2017 and is in a contract year. His value is on the offensive end where he seems determined to prove he can still score; fourteen shots in 16 minutes last game is a feat. The Nuggets, whose bench unit was humming before he returned, don’t need him to play hero ball. They need him to stretch the floor from the perimeter and not put his head down and barrel his way into the lane for contested layups.

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Kiz: OK, we knew there would be a period of adjustment to integrate the outsized personality of Thomas. And this experiment in Denver has only just begun. But there’s this newfangled stat all the NBA kids love called usage rate. It estimates the percentage of a team’s plays used by a player when he’s on the floor. With the Nuggets, I.T.’s usage rate is 28.1 percent, which means he dominates the ball more than Nikola Jokic (27.5). Isn’t that a problem?

Singer: It’s a big problem. You can’t play a certain way (re. unselfish) for the entire season and then expect the team’s second unit to reconfigure its orbit to a certain player. Thomas’ usage rate in 95 minutes is the same as Boston star Kyrie Irving’s and more than all-stars Bradley Beal and Victor Oladipo. The difference is that those three are all far-more-willing passers than Thomas. Players such as Mason Plumlee, Will Barton and Monte Morris have already made note that the second-unit offense has become stagnant and one-on-one heavy. In the last two games, losses to Utah and New Orleans, the Nuggets have been outscored by a combined 26 points in the second quarter, typically when the reserves play a good portion. The question is: In the middle of a playoff stretch with the Trail Blazers and Thunder on their heels, how much runway can the Nuggets afford to give Thomas as he tries to get his game right?

Kiz: I am tempted to call the whole thing off, and tell I.T. thanks and send him packing. Why? Monte Morris has been the ideal backup point guard and playing small ball with Thomas exposes defensive deficiencies that could kill Denver in the playoffs. But how about this idea: Take Thomas out of the regular rotation and use him exclusively as break-glass-in-case-of-emergency gunslinger on nights when shots won’t fall for the Nuggets. Would I.T. accept that role?

Singer: Doubtful. Thomas played 11 minutes in Thursday’s loss to Utah. After the game, I asked him how tough it is to get his rhythm while also learning his teammates’ tendencies. He replied, “It’s very hard when you play 10 minutes.” That remark came after his very public post-game shooting display on the main Pepsi Center court even though the Nuggets have a practice court just one floor up. His frustration is understandable; his injury derailed his career, and he was told to be himself when he signed with Denver. Now that he is, and it’s not meshing with rising star Monte Morris, it’s coming to a head at an awful time for the Nuggets. I believe this upcoming road trip will determine a lot.

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