Mike Malone’s good work continues to pay off. The Denver Nuggets have signed their head coach to a contract extension, the team announced Tuesday. The deal will keep Malone with the Nuggets through the 2022-23 season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Malone, now in his fifth season with the Nuggets, has a 194-163 record in Denver. He led last season’s team into the second round of the postseason for the first time since the 2008-09 season. At 21-8, the Nuggets are currently slated to be the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference thanks in large part to Malone’s aggressive defensive scheme. The Nuggets finished 26th in defense the year before hiring Malone, but have steadily improved during his tenure and are currently ranked second. That defense, in combination with Nikola Jokic’s offensive wizardry, has Denver in position to compete for a championship this season.
The team’s owner, Josh Kroenke, released the following statement after Malone’s extension.
“This season and team has been about continuity, with Coach Malone being the first piece of that,” stated Josh Kroenke. “We are thrilled to continue to have him lead this promising young roster and are excited about what the future holds. Coach Malone has been pivotal in this organization’s success and will continue to be so.”
President of basketball operations Tim Connelly echoed that sentiment.
“We have been very fortunate to have Coach Malone lead our resurgence. His tireless work ethic and passion are clearly reflected in the continued improvement of our roster,” said Tim Connelly. “We are all extremely excited for him to continue to lead our team as we try to build a championship level organization.”
Malone guided the Nuggets through a fairly unpromising time in the organization’s history. Without an extended period of tanking or an obvious superstar on his roster, he has developed one of the league’s youngest teams into a true contender. Now, the Nuggets are ensuring he will be there to guide this team forward as its best players begin to hit their primes.
