The Denver Nuggets took plenty of heat when they moved Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers instead of paying the salary he wanted. The question that followed was obvious: how do you replace a player like that?
The answer, at least so far, looks like a committee.
Denver got back a tradeable 2031 first-round pick and a second-round pick from Cleveland in the deal for Watson. Then, after the Cavaliers cut Cam Whitmore, who had been part of the five-team trade, the Nuggets grabbed him as well. So while Watson’s departure was viewed as the offseason’s biggest loss, the Nuggets have started filling that gap with more than one piece.
Ben Golliver of ESPN recently labeled Watson the team’s biggest roster hole, and that part is hard to argue with. Watson was the most notable loss of the summer. But Denver hasn’t sat still, and the early signs suggest the Nuggets have found a different way to cover for him.
On the defensive end, Alpha Diallo has stepped into the role and looked the part through the first two preseason games. Cameron Johnson called him a “menace” early in training camp, and that label has already started to make sense. Diallo has looked disruptive and could become a real problem for opponents when Denver needs a stop late in games.
The offense has been handled differently. DeMar DeRozan is expected to provide scoring off the bench, and even at 37 years old, he’s still getting buckets.
He’ll have a clear lane as the sixth man. Alongside him, Julian Strawther has emerged as the breakout name to watch.
His shooting and ability to attack off the dribble have been compared to what Watson brought, and he knocked down 38.7% of his threes last season. He’s also looked strong in the first two preseason games.
It’s not the cleanest solution to replace Watson with several players instead of one. But Denver was never going to pay a luxury-tax bill that would have climbed into the hundreds of millions just to keep him and run it back. The front office turned Watson into assets, found answers in different places, and is now close to getting back under the second apron luxury tax penalty threshold.
For the Nuggets, that may be the smarter path anyway. Rather than betting big on an unproven player on a deal that could have become untradable, they spread the responsibility around and added players with specific jobs to do. That’s not the simplest fix, but it might be the better one.
In Other News...
Nuggets Have Little Time Left To Fix One Big Starting Lineup Issue
The Nuggets have split their first two preseason games, and the final stretch of exhibitions now feels more like an on-court tuning session than a dress rehearsal. Denver still has the Chicago Bulls, L.A. Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers left on the schedule, and head coach David Adelman has made it clear the club wants its main group on the floor together as much as possible before the games start counting for real. He also acknowledged the obvious preseason tradeoff, with the need for chemistry sitting right alongside the usual concern about keeping everyone healthy.
For Denver, the bigger issue is not whether the talent is there, but whether the lineup has had enough time to become second nature. The starting five of Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic has been on the floor together only 23 times, and that lack of continuity is the kind of thing the Nuggets would prefer to chip away at now rather than in midseason pressure. Adelman said the starters will play against the Bulls and then sit out one of the two Los Angeles games, leaving a narrow window for one more meaningful rehearsal before opening night. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Nembhard Is Forcing His Way Into Denvers Guard Conversation
Ryan Nembhard has done enough early in camp to make the Nuggets take a longer look at their backcourt depth. Signed to a two-way contract just a couple of days into training camp, the guard has carried that opportunity into the preseason, where he has looked comfortable enough running the offense to keep himself in the conversation as Denver sorts out its reserve options.
Head coach David Adelman has already singled out Nembhard for the edge and competitiveness he has brought to practice, a notable sign for a player trying to carve out a role at the back of the guard rotation. He is still facing an uphill climb to break into meaningful minutes ahead of the Nuggets more established guards, but he has at least made himself look like a reliable third-string option the staff can trust if the need comes up. [Read more 🡒]