Julian Strawther

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 and Caldwell-Pope—have been replaced by Cam Johnson and Christian Braun.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.

none

2026-2027-denver-nuggets-season-preview

The 2026-27 Denver Nuggets season preview

Hear from Julian Strawther, Alpha Diallo and Coach Adelman after practice.

nuggets-practice-availability-10-09-2026

Nuggets Practice Availability (10/09/2026)

Hear what Coach Adelman, Marvin Bagley III, Aaron Gordon, and Julian Strawther had to say after the Denver Nuggets' second preseason game of the 2026-27 season.

nuggets-postgame-availability-10-06-2026

Nuggets Postgame Availability (10/06/2026)

Hear what Coach Adelman, Trevon Brazile, and Julian Strawther had to say after the Denver Nuggets' first preseason game of the 2026-27 season.

nuggets-postgame-availability-10-04-2026

Nuggets Postgame Availability (10/04/2026)

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.

nba-players-make-their-own-2k27-ratings

NBA Players Make Their Own 2K27 Ratings

Hear from Julian Strawther and DaRon Holmes II, who were in attendance at Game One of NBA Summer League. Also listen to Coach J.J. Barea, Bryce Hopkins (24 PTS), and K.J. Simpson (17 PTS) postgame vs. the Houston Rockets.

nuggets-postgame-availability-07-10-2025

Nuggets Postgame Availability (07/10/2025)

The Denver Nuggets have another chance to improve their roster with the start of free agency.

Denver is coming off a disappointing end to the 2025-26 season, following a first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Still, the Nuggets managed to finish as a top-three seed in a competitive Western Conference despite an onslaught of injuries throughout the 82-game season. The talent was there; luck and health were not.

Recently, the Nuggets made two selections in the 2026 NBA Draft, snagging Trevon Brazile with the 35th overall pick and Bryce Hopkins at pick No. 49. The two experienced collegiate players share a similar profile: athleticism and ranginess at the wing position. They'll help Denver acclimate to the modern NBA.

Now, the Nuggets can get even better in free agency. Teams can begin to negotiate deals with unsigned players on Tuesday, June 30, at 4 p.m. MT, the official start of free agency.

Before we move on, it should be noted that&nbsp;none&nbsp;of the opinions provided in this article reflect the views of the front office and coaching staff.&nbsp;

The Nuggets have nine players signed to guaranteed contracts for 2026-27. Let's quickly go through them.

All five of Denver's starters—Nikola Jokić, Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, and Cam Johnson—are inked to long-term deals. Johnson is in the final year of his contract.

Similarly, Jonas Valančiūnas is also in the final year of his multi-season deal.

Zeke Nnaji is entering season three of a four-year deal.

And then finally, Julian Strawther and DaRon Holmes II are in the fourth and third years of the rookie-scale deals, respectively.

That leaves Denver with six available roster spots for standard deals.

Peyton Watson is set to hit free agency for the first time in his career. During their recent press conference, Ben Tenzer, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, and Jonathan Wallace, Executive Vice President of Player Personnel, expressed strong interest in retaining Watson this summer.

P-Wat is a restricted free agent, meaning the Nuggets can match any offer that comes his way. That benefits Denver.

Another restricted free agent is Spencer Jones, a standout defensive wing for the Nuggets last season. Wallace stated that the Nuggets were confident both sides could reach a new agreement.

Getting into some of Denver's unrestricted free agents, Tim Hardaway Jr. had an excellent first season with the Nuggets in 2025-26. He posted a career-best 40.7 percent shooting accuracy from three-point land and finished sixth in Sixth Man of the Year voting at the end of the year.

Bruce Brown, a fan favorite in Denver, also turned in a strong 2025-26 campaign. Brown paired his hard-nosed defense with knockdown three-point shooting from the corners (44.0 percent).

One of the biggest bright spots in the first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves was Tyus Jones, an experienced point guard who signed with the team after a buyout with the Dallas Mavericks. Jones is a smart playmaker who can run the pick-and-roll as a low-turnover engine.

Jalen Pickett could be back for 2026-27 should the Nuggets pick up his team option. If Denver declines it, he'll become an unrestricted free agent.

Finally, all three of Denver's two-way contract players—David Roddy, Curtis Jones, and K.J. Simpson—are free agents. Roddy was an awesome end-of-year story, pouring in 36 points over the final two games of the regular season. He was a major reason the Nuggets defeated the defending Western Conference Finalist San Antonio Spurs in Game 82.

Tenzer and Wallace identified three roster needs heading into the NBA calendar's transaction period.

Defense, athleticism, and ball-handling are areas of interest, according to the two front office leaders.

Brazile and Hopkins are steps in the right direction, but the Nuggets can improve even more in these categories via free agency.

Let's start with the defense and athleticism components of Denver's free agency wishlist.

And now, onto some ball-handlers for Denver.

Finding additional help in the frontcourt wouldn't hurt the Nuggets. Let's go through a few free agent big men for the fun of it.

the-denver-nuggets-2026-free-agency-preview

The Denver Nuggets 2026 Free Agency Preview

The Denver Nuggets have advanced to the postseason for the eighth consecutive season. To do so, they rattled off twelve consecutive wins, the longest winning streak of the Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray era. That helped them climb to third place in the Western Conference and finish with a 54-28 record.

A rematch with the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, who eliminated them from the second round of the 2024 playoffs. This is a chance at redemption.

Denver finished with the best offense in the NBA with a 121.1 offensive rating. They led the league in a variety of three-point-related statistics—catch and shoots, pull-ups, corner threes, above-the-break threes, and wide-open threes—en route to the best shooting season in franchise history.

Just below the league-leading Nuggets on the three-point leaderboard was the Timberwolves, who knocked down 37 percent of their long-range looks (seventh in the NBA). Overall, Minnesota finished the year with the 13th-best offense in the NBA.

Minnesota is not a team that moves the ball especially well, especially relative to Denver; the Timberwolves finished 16th in assists per game, whereas the Nuggets were fourth.

Where Minnesota can make up some ground is on defense. Their 112.5 defensive rating ranked seventh in the league. Denver finished in the bottom 10 in this statistic.

Denver went 3-1 against Minnesota in the regular season. It's the first time they've won the regular-season series since 2020-21.

Rudy Gobert → Nikola Jokić&nbsp;Julius Randle&nbsp;→ Aaron Gordon&nbsp;Jaden McDaniels →&nbsp;Cam JohnsonDonte DiVincenzo → Christian BraunAnthony Edwards → Jamal Murray

At this point, both of these teams are very, very familiar with guarding each other. Since the start of 2022, Minnesota and Denver have played each other a whopping 28 times. No two teams have gone head-to-head more in that time span.

The history between Rudy Gobert and Jokić, specifically, stretches more than a decade. It predates Gobert's four-year tenure in Minnesota, going back to his days in Utah.

In 2025-26, Gobert offered very little resistance to Jokić. Nikola shot 13-of-20 (65.0 percent) from the field and 3-of-7 from distance (42.9 percent) when guarded by Gobert in four regular-season games. He scored in a variety of ways—spinning jump-hooks, smartly-timed cuts to the rim, or even the occasional blow-by layup.

Jokić's versatility as a scorer has only grown over the years, and Gobert has gotten a front-row seat to that. Overall, the three-time MVP averaged 35.8 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 11.3 assists in four games against the Timberwolves this season.

One of Minnesota's biggest adjustments in the 2024 series was moving Gobert off Jokić and having Karl-Anthony Towns act as Nikola's primary defender. Gobert, meanwhile, would roam in the painted area as a secondary defender.

Minnesota hasn't seen as much success with that alignment this season, as starting power forward Julius Randle isn't as stout a post defender as Towns. Jokić can get to his spots pretty easily against Randle and loft feathery floaters over Gobert's helping 7'9 wingspan. That level of comfort basically neutralized Gobert's secondary rim protection.

Nikola's running mate, Jamal Murray, also had very little trouble getting his game off against the Timberwolves. Jamal averaged a whopping 31.5 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in those same four games, highlighted by a 43-point masterpiece in October.

It hasn't really mattered who the Wolves have guarded him with... Anthony Edwards... Jaden McDaniels... Ayo Dosumnu... Murray has blown by his man repeatedly, especially when Denver has gone to pick-and-rolls with Jokić.

Speaking of the two-man game, Denver has tinkered with that play by having a third offensive player set an off-ball screen for Murray. Here, it's Tim Hardaway Jr. screening to bring Donte DiVincenzo into the action, one of the weaker defenders in Minnesota's starting lineup.

From there, Murray and Jokić can put on their chef hats and aprons and cook.

The Nuggets have also disguised their pick-and-rolls to avoid predictability. This play looks like it's being run for Julian Strawther and Nikola Jokić, only to shift into two-man action between Murray and Jokić.

Minnesota experimented a lot with its pick-and-roll defense against Denver in the regular season.

One thing they tried: having Anthony Edwards guard Jokić as the primary defender, and then switching him on to Murray when Denver went to its pick-and-roll. Murray's defender, McDaniels, would switch on to Jokić in this scenario.

They'll need to experiment even more if they want to slow Denver's dominant duo.

Nikola Jokić&nbsp;→ Rudy GobertAaron Gordon&nbsp;→ Julius RandleCam Johnson → Jaden McDanielsChristian Braun&nbsp;→ Anthony EdwardsJamal Murray → Donte DiVincenzo

No surprises here for these projected matchups.

One thing that sticks out is how nice it is to have a healthy Aaron Gordon.

Julius Randle has been a real handful for the Nuggets over the past two seasons. AG was available for only two of the regular-season games, but he did a great job against the bruising Timberwolves power forward.

He has the requisite strength to handle Randle's physicality-imposing game, which is predicated on forceful jabs, full-speed charges to the rim, and incredible shoulder strength. Gordon absorbed those physical forays like a sponge, leaving Randle with nothing but unbalanced low-percentage fall-away jumpers. He shot just 3-of-7 from the field when guarded by Gordon in 2025-26.

Another player who held up well against Randle was Spencer Jones. He's probably Denver's most physical player, and that seemed to bother Randle, an offensive player who thrives on body-to-body contact. Overall, Jones held Randle to 2-of-8 shooting from the field this season.

Minnesota's bench looks much different from 2024. Naz Reid still leads that group, but behind him are a sea of new faces. Ayo Dosunmu, Kyle Anderson, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Bones Hyland are a talented bunch of reserves.

Hyland sticks out as a player the Nuggets will need to neutralize. He's had some big games against his former team this year, averaging 11.0 points on 52.4 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from deep against Denver.

The best way to do so has nothing to do with the offensive side of the ball. Rather, the Nuggets must target him defensively and make him work.

Put the Timberwolves in a tough position: to play, or not to play, their talented backup point guard.

KEY TO THE SERIES (MINNESOTA): ATTENTIVENESS AWAY FROM THE BALL

One thing that stood out from watching four regular-season replays of game film was how many lapses the Timberwolves had defensively.

Denver made a point to target specific players with their off-ball actions, like Naz Reid, but he wasn't the only culprit.

There were just a lot of instances of ball-watching and poor communication in the four games I watched.

In fairness to Minnesota, this is a much different—and arguably much better—Nuggets offense than the one they guarded two seasons ago.

There's just way more off-ball movement, way more off-ball screening, and way more to keep track of defensively. While the two-man game is still a huge part of what makes Denver great, especially at the end of games, head coach David Adelman has done a fantastic job diversifying the offense.

Murray, for example, is used much differently than in 2024. Back then, Denver would regularly have him take the ball up the court and initiate the offense, many times flowing into the pick-and-roll with Jokić.

Those initiation duties now fall into other players' hands, like Bruce Brown, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, or Gordon. This has allowed Murray to get into his off-ball scoring bag a bit more. Murray finished 2025-26 with the NBA's fifth-best catch-and-shoot three-point accuracy at 45.9 percent.

Chicago Action, a play that combines a pindown screen with a dribble-handoff, has been very successful for Murray. That rings twice as true against Minnesota. Forcing Murray's defender to get around a pin-down screen and then a sturdy handoff screen from Jokić is a tough ask, especially for a lankier defender like McDaniels, who can get clipped by screens.

If his defender overplays that action, which McDaniels does below by trying to cheat underneath both screens, Murray can just reverse course and cut away from the handoff, setting up a catch-and-shoot look.

Minnesota tried to adjust to "Chicago" by bringing a fourth defender into the painted area to muck things up. Here, it's Mike Conley gapping off his man (Bruce Brown) and stepping up to Murray after the handoff. Denver countered by having Jones set an exit screen for Brown, which set up a corner three-pointer.

Minnesota also adjusted to "Chicago" with top-locking.

Top-locking is a defense for pindown screens. The off-ball defender (McDaniels) positions himself on the high side of his man (Murray) to deny him from using the pindown screen. That blocked Murray's path to the handoff.

So, Murray countered by simply backcutting McDaniels and beelining it to the rim.

This was (admittedly) a bit of a tangent, but it's just one example of how much Denver can improvise out of one play. There's a game within a game when it comes to defensive scheming. It's a chess match.

Minnesota will need to be up to the task against the second-best offense in NBA history. Erasing a portion of the focus-related buckets they allowed in the regular season is low-hanging fruit. Denver is just too good at capitilizing against mental lapses.

KEY TO THE SERIES (DENVER): THE ANT DEFENSE

Anthony Edwards is a problem, to put it bluntly. He's one of the best basketball players in the world, who combines otherworldly athleticism with an all-time great shooting leap. Ant is a threat from every level of the floor–the rim, the midrange, and three-point land—meaning he has very few scoring limitations.

He's averaged 29.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on 49.2/36.2/84.6 shooting splits in his 12 playoff games against Denver.

I'm predicting we see tons of different defensive looks against Edwards in this potential seven-game series. Here are just a few of the schemes I caught on film during the regular season.

Denver opened the second regular-season game against Minnesota in a 2-3 zone. With a zone, defenders guard specific areas of the court rather than individual opponents, shifting as a unit based on the ball's position. Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. are the "2" in this screenshot, guarding above the three-point line, while Jokić, Gordon, and Jonas Valančiūnas act as the "3" and man the backline.

Zone defenses tend to reduce dribble penetration. That's useful against a downhill scorer like Edwards, who does most of his work out of isolations and the pick-and-roll.

Denver's zone led to some stagnant Minnesota possessions in November. More importantly, it got the ball out of Edwards' hands.

What zones tend to surrender are three-pointers, and that could be problematic against a top-10 shooting team like Minnesota.

Back in November, the Wolves quickly countered Denver's zone with more side-to-side ball movement, even going as far as to use Edwards as a diversion. Open threes for strong outside shooters like DiVincenzo and Reid are exactly the type of looks you want as an offense.

Fortunately for Denver, they have other options at their disposal. They can blitz Edwards and send both pick-and-roll defenders his way. Jokić abandoned his man, Jaylen Clark, in both of the clips below to double-team Ant. The blitz made it close to impossible for Edwards to score.

Blitzing is a pretty taxing defensive tactic, especially for a center like Jokić, so Denver can be more measured with its approach.

Rather than having Jokić all-out blitz Edwards, he can instead hedge or play "up" in pick-and-rolls, momentarily jumping out to obstruct Ant's path to the rim after ball screens.

Hedging pick-and-rolls usually means that Jokić's man, the screener, can roll to the rim freely.

That seems like a very palatable outcome for Denver if the screener is Gobert. Rudy's creation in the open floor is a bit of a wildcard, as he's not much of a scorer outside of the occasional dunk.

Denver busted out some pretty creative counters to Ant.

Here, for example, they had Jokić pre-rotate against this Edwards isolation on the right side of the floor. Jokić passed off his man, Gobert, and stood in Edwards' driving lane to prevent him from going right. Meanwhile, the Nuggets had their three remaining defenders (Murray, Julian Strawther, and Braun) position themselves between the four Timberwolves on the weak side of the floor (Gobert, McDaniels, DiVincenzo, and Randle).

The pre-rotation strategy worked, and Edwards had to give the ball up.

You need to mix and match defensive coverages against some of the best players in the world. Keep them guessing.

X FACTOR (MINNESOTA): RANDLE-AT-CENTER LINEUPS

Minnesota's starting lineup is pretty set in stone. That quintet—Edwards, DiVincenzo, McDaniels, Randle, and Gobert—has outscored opponents by 7.9 points per 100 possessions this season.

The question for the Timberwolves is what happens when those five starters filter out and the bench checks in.

Gobert is the only traditional center on Minnesota's roster; Reid is undersized at the five, and rookie Joan Beringer is probably a year away from being able to contribute in a postseason series.

first-round-series-preview-3-nuggets-vs-6-timberwolves

First-Round Series Preview: #3 Nuggets vs. #6 Timberwolves

Presented by

ibotta

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>