Denver’s season will begin with the usual premise and a few new pressure points: Nikola Jokić still gives the Nuggets an offense built to live near the top of the league, but a roster reshuffle has put more weight on defense, bench fit and Aaron Gordon’s availability.
The Nuggets finished 54-28 last season, placed third in the Western Conference and exited in the first round. They return Jokić, Jamal Murray and Gordon, but the surrounding rotation has changed after the departures of Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown.
New faces around Denver’s core
- Denver added DeMar DeRozan, Marvin Bagley III, Trevon Brazile, Alpha Diallo and Bryce Hopkins during the offseason.
- DeRozan arrives with a résumé that includes 16th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list and 18.4 points per game last season. At 37, his early training-camp question will be whether he can settle into the sixth-man role that appears to be his cleanest route into David Adelman’s rotation.
- Diallo enters the NBA at age 27 after winning EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year. The long, athletic wing could be Denver’s most direct answer to Watson’s departure, particularly in matchups against opposing shooting guards and small forwards.
- Cam Whitmore signed a two-way deal in mid-September. The 6-foot-6 forward, selected 20th overall in 2023, appeared in just 21 games for Washington last season while dealing with a blood-clot condition.
- Veteran assistant Dave Joerger has joined Adelman’s staff after previous head-coaching stops in Memphis and Sacramento, with defensive improvement an immediate organizational priority.
Offense has been Denver’s floor; defense remains its ceiling
The Nuggets have landed among the league’s top seven offenses in each of the past 10 seasons. Last year was their best offensive showing in that span, scoring 6.4 points per 100 possessions above league average.
Jokić remains the engine. His 64.1 career true-shooting percentage is the best in NBA history among players averaging at least 18 points per game, and Denver’s passing, screening and late-clock answers all continue to begin with him.
Murray supplied one of his strongest regular seasons, playing 75 games while posting career highs of 25.4 points per game and a 62.2 true-shooting percentage. An All-Star selection remains a realistic target as he enters his 10th NBA season, though his responsibilities are unlikely to shrink.
Gordon’s health is another line item to monitor. He played only 36 games last season. Adelman’s preferred starting five was available for 23 games, but it went 18-5 when intact, a useful reminder of what Denver believes it can be when its main pieces are on the floor.
The issue is at the other end. Denver has ranked 21st in defensive rating in each of the past two seasons. Diallo does not need to become a high-volume scorer for his signing to matter; if he can take difficult wing assignments and blunt perimeter scorers, Denver has enough established offense to cover the rest.
Early calendar puts road legs to the test
Denver plays 14 of its first 22 regular-season games away from home. The final stop in that opening road-heavy stretch comes Dec. 15 against Portland, and the Nuggets will want to reach that point with their rotation defined before the schedule turns more favorable at Ball Arena.
- Dec. 2 vs. Philadelphia: Jokić and Joel Embiid remain one of the league’s marquee center matchups. Philadelphia’s outlook will be closely tied to Embiid’s health and level of play.
- Dec. 15 vs. Portland: Denver’s 14th road game within its first 22 contests closes the early travel grind.
- Jan. 30 vs. Oklahoma City: The Nuggets face a Western Conference rival before seeing the Thunder again in Denver three nights later.
- March 3 vs. San Antonio: The first of two potentially meaningful late-season meetings arrives as playoff seeding comes into focus. Denver then hosts Minnesota on March 7.
- March 18 vs. Cleveland: Watson’s expected return to Ball Arena will bring a response from the Denver crowd after his summer sign-and-trade exit, whether that reception is appreciation for four seasons of work or frustration over the loss.
Denver does not need to reinvent its identity. With Jokić, Murray and a healthy Gordon, it still owns a proven high-end foundation. The season’s more revealing numbers will be the defensive ones: whether Diallo can claim minutes, whether Joerger’s influence shows up in the daily details, and whether DeRozan’s scoring can strengthen a second unit without disrupting the group that has made Denver dangerous for a decade.
