Nikola Jokic’s extension talk may have grabbed the spotlight at Nuggets media day, but DeMar DeRozan’s first public comments in Denver may have told an even more revealing story about what this team wants to become.
DeRozan has spent 17 seasons being asked to do the heavy lifting on offense, often as the guy who had to create everything himself. In Denver, that burden should look very different. And on Monday, he sounded like a veteran who gets exactly why he’s there.
“My whole career, I’ve had the ball in my hands, had to initiate offense… Whatever I can do to take the pressure off Mal or big fella, I'm for all that."
He followed that up with another line that cut right to the fit.
“Throughout my career, the amount of points I scored, majority of them was tough. So being able to play with somebody that demands so much attention but also has the IQ at such a high level that creates easy buckets, it just makes it easier on me.”
That’s the kind of answer Denver had to love. DeRozan didn’t talk like a player arriving to reclaim the spotlight. He talked like someone ready to slot into a bigger machine and help it run smoother, with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray at the center of everything.
That matters because the Nuggets needed another real initiator, especially after the playoffs made the problem plain. Murray was carrying too much, and Denver didn’t have enough alternative creation when the offense bogged down. DeRozan gives them another hand on the wheel.
He also gives them something else: a chance to get easier offense than he’s often had in his career. Playing alongside Jokic and Murray should open cleaner looks than DeRozan has usually seen, and if he embraces the role, Denver’s offense can climb another level.
There’s also a playoff angle here. The Nuggets have had Jokic and Murray hit a wall, and without another dependable option, they’ve had nowhere else to turn.
DeRozan changes that. He gives them flexibility, including the possibility of resting Murray and Jokic together while letting DeRozan run the show.
He’s not a perfect player, and the defensive issues are real. But Denver brought him in as a cheap free agent, and the idea of pairing him with the best teammates of his career is a tempting one.
If everyone is aligned, this could be the kind of addition that unlocks something bigger for the Nuggets this season. For now, at least, DeRozan sounds like he understands the assignment.
In Other News...
Nuggets Are Confronting The One Problem Minnesota Exposed
The Nuggets spent the offseason trying to answer the same question Minnesota posed in the spring: are they physical enough to hold up when a playoff series turns into a wrestling match? At media day, several players looked noticeably fitter, and David Adelman made it clear that Denver wants that work to show up on the defensive end, especially by keeping opponents from getting easy lanes into the paint.
Nikola Jokic also arrived looking leaner than he did at the end of last season, a visual reminder that Denver is taking the message seriously. Alpha Diallo adds another layer to the effort, with the Nuggets expecting him to bring some edge on the perimeter and help steady the second unit, but the broader test is whether all of that added toughness translates when the games get heavy and the floor tightens up. [Read more 🡒]
David Adelman Is Targeting A Nuggets Weakness Fans Know Too Well
The Nuggets spent last season fighting a problem that showed up in a hurry every time a possession ended badly, and it became one of the clearest drag points on an otherwise elite team. At media day, David Adelman pointed straight at that issue as the new seasons early emphasis, saying the staff wants to use more work on the offensive glass to help keep opponents from running the other way.
It is a familiar area of concern for Denver, and it is one the team appears ready to attack with some structural help. The addition of assistant coach Dave Joerger, long known for his defensive background, gives Adelman another voice as the Nuggets build out a revised scheme and try to make sure the same leak does not keep showing up when games speed up. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Whitmore Gives Nuggets A Fascinating Rotation Bet
Cam Whitmore arrives in Denver as one of the more intriguing low-risk swings on the Nuggets roster, a former first-round pick whose athleticism and scoring pop have already made him a player worth watching. On a two-way contract, he gives the Nuggets a developmental project with real upside, and his arrival fits the kind of roster-building the team can afford around its core.
Whitmore said he is optimistic about sharpening the parts of his game that will determine whether he can stick - the three-point shot, his passing and his defense - while learning in a locker room built around veteran know-how. Denvers coaching staff and established players should have plenty of chances to help him along, and the appeal is obvious: if the growth comes quickly, the Nuggets may have found a rotation bet that looks bigger than the contract suggests. [Read more 🡒]