One of the biggest concerns surrounding the reigning champion Denver Nuggets to enter the 2023-24 season was their lack of proven quality depth. This past offseason, they lost two of their biggest bench contributors during their championship run (Bruce Brown and Jeff Green) but didn't acquire any free-agent replacements other than Justin Holiday, instead relying on internal improvements from the likes of Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Zeke Nnaji to hold the fort.

The Nuggets have remained one of the best teams in the NBA despite this roster flaw due in large part to the continued excellence of the team's Nikola Jokic-led starting five, even with Jamal Murray out due to injury. But it's clear that the Nuggets are simply buying time whenever Jokic is resting on the bench. On Friday night, the Nuggets bench may have reached its low point of the season in a 105-86 defeat to the Houston Rockets, with the team getting a paltry total of 10 points from its reserve players.

Simply put, the Nuggets need better performances from their bench players if they were to defend their championship, and head coach Michael Malone is already imploring them to bring something to the table, which they failed to do in their loss to the Rockets that got them eliminated from the NBA In-Season Tournament.

“You gotta bring something to the party,” Malone told his bench players while adding that he may have to reconfigure his rotations to light a fire underneath them, per Katy Winge of AltitudeTV.

At this point, it's clear that Michael Malone does not trust his bench. The Nuggets player who got the most minutes on Friday night was Christian Braun, and he only played in 13. This has a trickle-down effect of having to rely on the starters to play heavy minutes, which isn't exactly ideal for a team that has its sights set on competing in June, not November.

Jamal Murray's return should help give the team more balance, as the Nuggets should be able to have at least one of Murray or Nikola Jokic on the floor at all times to avoid a drop-off. But until then, the Nuggets bench simply has to pick up the slack.