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Matt Brooks

The Denver Nuggets begin their season in Oklahoma City against the always-tough Thunder. Forty-eight hours later, they'll take on the New Orleans Pelicans for the home opener at Ball Arena. You can learn more about Denver's 2026-27 slate in our schedule-takeaways article from August.

Here are the most interesting storylines, to me, heading into opening week.

How does the new-look starting five fare in year two?

In 2023, Denver won its first-ever championship thanks to a tremendous first five: Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Michael Porter Jr.

Three years later, two of those players—Porter Jr. and Caldwell-Pope—have been replaced by Cam Johnson and Christian Braun.

The Nuggets' new nucleus was quite effective together last season, outscoring opponents by a whopping 13.5 points per 100 possessions over 360 total minutes. That was the third-best starting five in the league, according to net rating.

That group can get even better this season. Another year of experience will only add to the chemistry of this naturally fitting quintet. And if all goes well, they'll be significantly healthier this go-around.

Four of Denver's five starters (Jokić, Gordon, Johnson, and Braun) missed at least a month with an injury last season. The remaining fifth starter, Murray, turned in his best season to date, earning All-Star and All-NBA honors by the end of 2025-26.

Braun was hampered for most of the year by an ankle injury he suffered during the first month of the season. He told reporters on Media Day that he would be "good to go" in 2026-27, with no health restrictions.

"It was my first major ankle injury. So, it was really stiff. It would swell up pretty easily after a game. Pretty big, didn't look normal," Braun said. "Feel like I've grinded hard enough on it all summer and put myself in a good spot. So, I'm excited. I'm ready to go. Ankle is all good."

Johnson, meanwhile, sprained his knee just before the turn of the new year. This is his second season in Denver; he was acquired by the Nuggets via an offseason trade with the Brooklyn Nets in 2025.

There were some slight growing pains early on, but Johnson really settled into his role as the Nuggets' movement shooter by the end of the 2025-26 season. He looked exceptionally confident in the preseason, letting it fly from distance and making connective plays as a secondary ball handler.

Even Jokić missed some time with a knee injury. This was the first long-term injury of the three-time MVP's career.

However, it was Gordon who played the fewest games (36) of any Nuggets starter last season. In response, he altered his training regimen this summer by increasing the length of his warm-up and cool-down on game days. Gordon also shared on Media Day that managing his nervous system was a priority, citing the tie between mental health and physical health.

The early returns for this new routine sure look promising. In four preseason tune-ups, Gordon averaged 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in just 14.9 minutes per game. I'm not in the business of hot takes, but if I were, I'd have AG slotted in as a stealth All-Star candidate in the talented Western Conference.

Behind those starters is a revamped bench...

You'll see a sea of new faces on Denver's official roster.

Most of those newcomers are set to come off the bench, headlined by DeMar DeRozan, who ranks 16th on the NBA's all-time scoring leaderboard. He remains one of the league's preeminent midrange shooters and a terrific isolation player.

Marvin Bagley III is another exciting addition for the Nuggets. He'll primarily back up Jokić at the center position, though we may see him play next to the three-time MVP in certain lineups.

Bagley offers a vastly different skill set than most of Denver's recent reserve fives. He's a real high-flyer who feasts on the offensive glass. Bagley is also an efficient painted-area finisher with an appetite for slamming down alley-oops, making him an ideal fit with pass-first backup point guard Tyus Jones. It certainly helps that Jones and Bagley have played together on two different teams (the Memphis Grizzlies and the Washington Wizards).

DeRozan, Bagley, and Jones should handle most of Denver's offensive responsibilities for the bench, and on the other end, they'll be supported by Alpha Diallo, the reigning EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year. Nuggets fans got an early peek at Diallo's defensive gifts during the preseason; he pressed opposing ball-handlers full-court and wiggled around screens with ease.

Speaking of the preseason, maybe the biggest Nuggets storyline was rookie Trevon Brazile, who had a breakout performance against the LA Clippers with 22 points on 80.0 percent shooting from the field and 75.0 percent shooting from three-point range. Brazile is a 6-foot-10 power forward with a 41-inch vertical leap... and he's got a sweet shooting stroke to match. He's basically a hand-in-glove fit for this league-leading offense.

Spencer Jones is one of the biggest developmental success stories for the Nuggets over the last couple of years. He's a legit 3-and-D player who canned just under 40 percent of his long-range looks last season.

Julian Strawther is an uber-talented scorer with burgeoning playmaking skills. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old sprained his knee in Denver's second-to-last preseason game and will be evaluated in six weeks.

Head coach David Adelman recently stated he expected to use a 10-man rotation early in the season, though if the game called for it, he would be more than comfortable deploying a full 11 players. Going 10, sometimes 11 players deep will let the starters get much-needed rest, but it's also a testament to the depth of the reserves.

Get your tickets for Denver's home opener against the New Orleans Pelicans HERE.

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The 2026-27 Denver Nuggets season preview

A blast from the past 🕺 celebrating our ABA roots 50 years after the merger, with a look back at some legendary 70s hairstyles.

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Denver Nuggets React To Their 1970s Haircuts

Matt Brooks catches up with DaRon Holmes II over a game of pickleball, with plenty of questions and conversation along the way.

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Could You Beat An NBA Player In Pickleball?

Watch DaRon Holmes II, Julian Strawther, KJ Simpson, and Trevon Brazile give themselves the ratings they think they deserve in NBA 2K27, then battle it out with each other in-game.

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NBA Players Make Their Own 2K27 Ratings

The NBA made its final schedule-related announcement on Thursday, unveiling the Denver Nuggets' entire 82-game slate.

Denver is looking for its ninth consecutive playoff appearance in 2026-27, the second-longest postseason streak in the NBA. To do so, they'll need to win as many games as possible on a schedule that, at first glance, appears much more favorable than last season's.

The Nuggets will appear on national television a whopping 28 times in 2026-27. Ten of those games are on ESPN/ABC, eight are on NBC, seven are on Prime, and three are on Peacock.

Here are four other takeaways from Denver's schedule.

Opening Night, October 22nd, 7:30 p.m. MT @ Oklahoma City; ESPN

Denver begins the 2026-27 regular season in familiar territory—Oklahoma City—where they'll play the Thunder on ESPN. Both teams have won a championship in the last five years (Denver in 2023 and Oklahoma City in 2025), and they faced off in the second round of the 2025 postseason.

The two Western Conference heavyweights have been extraordinarily successful in the modern NBA era, and there's tons of history between them. This should be a heck of a season opener.

Christmas Day, December 25th, 8:30 p.m. MT @ Golden State Warriors; ABC

The Nuggets get the opportunity to play on Christmas Day for the sixth time in seven years, illustrating their sustained dominance throughout the 2020s. Christmas Day is arguably the biggest date on the NBA calendar, so this is quite the honor.

This year, they'll play the Warriors on the road. Denver has gone 13-4 against Golden State since the start of the 2021-22 season, a stretch most famously highlighted by Nikola Jokić's halfcourt game-winner.

Speaking of Jokić, he's been an absolute force on December 25th, averaging 32.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 9.0 assists in six Christmas Day games. He put up an incredible box score in last season's 142-138 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, totalling 56 points on 15-of-21 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point land, 16 rebounds, and 15 assists.

A look at Denver's back-to-backs this season

Back-to-backs are widely viewed as the most arduous parts of the NBA schedule. Teams are given very little rest as they move from game to game, especially if traveling is required.

The Nuggets have 14 back-to-backs this season. That's three fewer than last season and two fewer than 2024-25.

Denver's back-to-back schedule is pretty backloaded, with just four in the first half of the season and a whopping 10 in the final 41 games. That includes a stretch in March when the Nuggets have three consecutive back-to-backs. Thankfully, though, there are two days of rest between each of these back-to-backs.

Back-to-backs that require travel are usually the most taxing. Denver will change locations 10 times on a back-to-back this season, meaning they have just four back-to-backs with both games at Ball Arena. The league average for this statistic is 5.0 home-home back-to-backs.

Because of Denver's central location on the map, the Nuggets will travel over 750 miles five times to reach the final city of a back-to-back. The league average is just 2.0 750-mile commutes.

That central location also means the Nuggets will experience a time-zone change seven times on a back-to-back. The NBA average for this statistic is 3.2 time-zone changes.

Some other interesting schedule-related statistics

Denver's longest road trip lasts eight days, from November 7th to November 14th, and they'll play four games during that time span.

Their longest homestand is much longer and spans 12 days from January 14th to January 25th. They'll play eight games at Ball Arena during that stretch.

The Nuggets are set to travel an estimated 46,000 miles during the 2026-27 regular season. That's right in line with the Western Conference average of 46,000 miles.

Purchase your single-game tickets for the 2026-27 season here.

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Four takeways from the Denver Nuggets' 2026-27 schedule

Rocky had to let off a little steam for this year's schedule release.

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SuperMascot Rocky's Schedule Release | Denver Nuggets

Follow Denver Nuggets rookies Bryce Hopkins and Trevon Brazile from their first day as Nuggets to their NBA Summer League debuts.

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Rookie Diaries: A Summer To Remember | S2 E1

Katy Winge sat down with Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins to learn more about their stories and what makes them who they are.

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Who Are Rookies Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins? | Denver Nuggets

Presented by

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Come out to the Denver Nuggets 2022-23 Draft Party Thursday, June 23rd @ 6:00 p.m. at Tom's Watch Bar, presented by Miller Lite! 

Watch your Denver Nuggets make their pick, win team signed gear, and meet Super Mascot Rocky! For more information <a href="https://www.nba.com/nuggets/watch-parties">Click Here</a>