The Nuggets’ second unit is the part of the roster that should look the most different next season, and a few returning pieces could see their roles shift fast.
Denver spent the offseason turning over much of its bench, with four of the top five names from that group last year - Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Peyton Watson, and Jonas Valanciunas - no longer in the mix. That leaves the Nuggets needing production from the players who remained, and it also opens the door for some pretty noticeable minute changes behind Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon.
One player who stands to benefit is Julian Strawther. The fourth-year wing is heading into a contract year after a down third season, and the path is there for him to become Denver’s seventh or eighth man behind DeMar DeRozan.
Strawther played 15 minutes a night in 2025-26, and that number should climb if he handles the opportunity well. The longer-term wrinkle is real, too: if he breaks out and reaches restricted free agency next offseason without a new deal, his future with the Nuggets could get complicated.
Christian Braun is in a different spot. His 2025-26 season never really found its footing, with injury and inconsistency dragging down what should have been a major step forward after he signed a $125 million extension before the year.
Now Denver has to decide how much runway to give him in the first season of that deal. The case for more minutes is obvious, but if Braun opens next season slowly again, it would make sense for the Nuggets to cut back from the 31.6 minutes a night he played last year - and even move him to the second unit if needed.
Then there’s Spencer Jones, who looks like one of the clearest bench candidates to keep climbing. Denver made it a priority to retain the defensive forward by matching the OKC Thunder’s $12 million offer sheet, even going over the second apron to do it, and that kind of investment should come with a real role.
Jones is one of the few multi-positional defenders on the roster, and with the Nuggets still trying to climb out of the bottom-10 defensive rating they posted over the last two seasons, he has a strong case to be a focal point of the second unit. After averaging about 22 minutes a night in his second season in Denver, another jump would not be a surprise.
In Other News...
Nikola Jokic Just Added Another Reminder Of How Rare He Is
Nikola Jokic keeps adding to a rsum that already looked unlike anyone elses, and this latest honor reaches back to the place where it all started. The Denver center was already a former ABA League MVP before arriving in the NBA, and now the Adriatic Basketball League has put him at the top of its first quarter-century, another nod to a career that has crossed from regional standout to three-time NBA MVP and one of the sports defining figures.
For Jokic, the recognition carries a particular weight because it comes from the league that helped shape him long before the Nuggets made him their franchise centerpiece. He spoke with gratitude about the honor and the role that league played in his development, a reminder that even with all the NBA hardware, some of the most meaningful milestones are the ones tied to where a player grew up. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Are Finally Addressing Their Toughest Offseason Loss
The Nuggets are still sorting through one of the summers tougher exits, with 23-year-old forward Peyton Watson now gone after a restricted free agency process and a move that sent him to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a future first-round pick. Watson had become a meaningful part of Denvers rotation, coming off a strong season in which he averaged 14.6 points and led the team in blocks per game, so his departure lands differently than a routine roster shuffle.
Assistant coach Ognjen Stojakovi acknowledged how hard it is to lose a young player with that kind of growth, but he also framed the conversation around what comes next. For Denver, the message is clear enough: the roster has changed, the sting is real, and the focus now shifts back to the one goal that keeps every offseason decision in perspective, chasing a championship. [Read more 🡒]
Christian Braun Just Put Denvers Offseason Doubts On Notice
Christian Braun spent the offseason with plenty of noise swirling around the Nuggets, and he has made it clear he heard it. The guard has been answering the critiques tied to his summer work and the ankle issue that interrupted his last season, while also sounding energized as training camp approaches. Denvers roster has changed around him, too, with the front office bringing in DeMar DeRozan, keeping Spencer Jones and moving on from some familiar names.
For a team trying to regroup after another round of turnover, Brauns response matters because he sits right in the middle of Denvers next step. The Nuggets need young players to settle in quickly, and Brauns confidence gives them at least one steady voice amid the uncertainty. The remaining question is whether his offseason reset turns into the kind of early-season leap Denver has been hoping to see. [Read more 🡒]