There's always a possibility that reigning title-holders suffer from a championship hangover, but Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone doesn't want his players to fall victim to that trap. In fact, Malone isn't just content with seeing his players flourish in the postseason. This time around, he wants his players, specifically star point guard Jamal Murray, to fight hard for regular season validation.

Speaking to reporters on media day, the Nuggets head coach revealed the challenge he gave Murray, motivating his team's second-best player to reach regular season heights he's never sniffed in the past.

“I want Jamal Murray to be a first-time All-Star this season. I want him to be an All-NBA player. He's got to do it in October. He can't be a slow starter,” Malone said, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports.

Given the grand context of legacies in the NBA, these sorts of accolades tend to help out a lot, even if the pinnacle of success is winning a championship, like Jamal Murray and the Nuggets did back in June. Murray has always been a solid regular season performer, but he's the rare player who performs even greater under the bright lights of the postseason, ramping up his production when the games truly matter.

But with Murray and the Nuggets having won a championship, it's not a surprise to see coach Michael Malone up the standards for his team to prevent them from falling into complacent ways. This is a sign of good coaching, as he's not content with whatever his team achieved last season, no matter how amazing their accomplishments were.

Jamal Murray surely has the capability to make the All-Star team and All-NBA team, but at the end of the day, the Nuggets may still err on the side of caution when it comes to their star man. They may sit him out every now and again, and they may not play him heavy minutes, even if it's been well over a year since he tore his ACL. But knowing Murray's pedigree and love for the game, he'll be fighting hard to meet the challenge brought to him by someone who has immense belief in his abilities.