David Adelman will take the reins as the permanent head coach for the Denver Nuggets. The announcement came from the franchise on Thursday. Adelman, who had filled in as interim head coach during the postseason, succeeded Michael Malone after both he and Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth were dismissed with just three games left in the regular season.

“I think our group really rallied around [Adelman] and he brought a different voice and a different style of communication, which was really fantastic to see,” said Josh Kroenke, the son of team owner Stan Kroenke, during a team press conference. “So we’re really excited about him, both from what he’s shown over the past six weeks and then to get a full year under his belt before we go back at it again next year.”

David Adelman

When Malone and Booth were let go, the Nuggets appeared poised for significant changes in the offseason. They were close to falling into the Play-In Tournament just two years after winning a championship, and internal conflicts threatened to doom an otherwise remarkable period for the franchise.

Adelman led the team to three wins in his first three regular-season games and clinched the No. 4 seed for the playoffs, going on to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games during the first round. They pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to the max in the second round, winning the first game away and forcing a seventh match, showing great resilience in the face of injuries.

Looking forward, the Nuggets aim to maintain consistency in their strategy and continue building on the successes they achieved during the recent postseason with Adelman at the helm.