Bryce Hopkins has wasted no time making a case for himself in Denver.
The Nuggets used the 49th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Hopkins, and after two Las Vegas Summer League games, he’s already looking like the kind of second-round swing that can stick. Denver entered the draft with two second-round selections, and Hopkins was the later one. Now, with two open two-way spots and three standard roster spots still available after the addition of Alpha Diallo, the EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year, Hopkins has put himself squarely in the mix for one of them.
What stands out first is the way he gets downhill. Hopkins has put together back-to-back strong games, and the common thread has been his physical approach at the rim.
He doesn’t avoid contact, and he uses his size and strength to work through smaller defenders. That kind of forceful driving is something Denver didn’t really have last season.
The Nuggets leaned heavily on Jamal Murray and Peyton Watson as the only real players who could consistently create and attack the basket, and that showed up in the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves. With no need to collapse on paint pressure, Minnesota was able to stay tighter in man-to-man coverage and make Denver live with difficult shots.
Hopkins may not be facing that same level of resistance in Summer League, but he has still made his presence felt. In his second game, he scored 16 points and grabbed 7 rebounds while going 6-13 from the field. That followed an eye-catching debut in which he posted 24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
He’s also been one of the most entertaining Nuggets to watch in Las Vegas. Hopkins has thrown down a couple of powerful dunks, and his energy has matched the style Denver seemed to be missing. There’s a noticeable edge to his game, and that kind of effort can carry weight beyond the box score.
For the Nuggets, the appeal is pretty clear: youth and athleticism over a veteran who’s closer to the end than the beginning. Hopkins has given them exactly the sort of high-motor, physical presence that can make a roster spot hard to ignore.
In Other News...
Nuggets Still Have One Offseason Domino Holding Up The Rest
A few weeks into the NBA offseason, the Nuggets are still waiting on one of those quiet roster-business dominoes to fall before everything else can be wrapped up cleanly. Around the league, several trades and free-agent agreements reported during the July moratorium have already been finalized, but Denver is among the teams with signings still sitting in limbo as the front office sorts through the cap mechanics that come with a busy summer.
The holdup is tied in part to the status of Denvers restricted free agents, especially Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones, because the way those situations settle can shape how the Nuggets handle the rest of their moves. If the team gets too close to the hard-cap line, even the final minimum-salary additions needed to finish the roster could require another move before the paperwork can all be made official. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Just Got A Brutal Verdict On Their Offseason Approach
The Nuggets have spent much of the offseason moving carefully rather than chasing the kind of headline-grabbing shakeup some around the league expected. Their additions have been modest, with Marvin Bagley and Alpha Diallo coming in, Tyus Jones re-signed, and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas moved out as Denver continues to work within a tight roster and limited future draft capital.
That conservative approach has not impressed everyone. The Athletics Zach Harper handed Denver a D- for its offseason so far, pointing to the teams depth concerns and the lack of much room to maneuver beyond minimum-type moves. Even with the roster still taking shape, the bigger question hanging over the Nuggets is whether this quiet summer leaves them sturdy enough for another run in the West. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Face A Real Peyton Watson Standoff This Offseason
Peyton Watsons breakout season gave the Nuggets exactly the kind of offseason problem contenders like to have, but it also made him one of the more complicated restricted free agents on the board. After a year in which his role expanded and his production jumped, Denver now has to balance the value of keeping a versatile young wing against the reality that rival teams are circling with sign-and-trade interest.
The challenge is that this is no ordinary negotiation. Watsons camp is looking for a major payday, while Denver is making clear it will not move him cheaply, which is why any deal would have to be built around serious draft capital and real long-term value. With multiple teams involved and the Nuggets standing firm, this could turn into one of the offseasons more drawn-out standoffs. [Read more 🡒]