The Nuggets’ second unit may not have Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, but it could still borrow a little bit of their old magic.
Denver’s offense lives and breathes through its star duo, and that’s exactly why the non-Jokic minutes have been such a headache. There simply isn’t another pair on the roster that can replicate what Jokic and Murray do together in the pick-and-roll. Still, the Nuggets may have found a workable answer in DeMar DeRozan and Marvin Bagley III, who can run a similar kind of action with the bench group.
DeRozan brings more to the table than just the midrange game he’s known for. He has long been an underrated passer and distributor, and the numbers from his time as the primary ball-handler with the San Antonio Spurs back that up.
Over three seasons in that role, he averaged 6.2, 5.6, and 6.9 assists. In the non-Jokic minutes, that kind of creation matters.
Bagley fits the setup well because he can finish plays the way Denver’s bench has been missing. His athleticism gives DeRozan a live lob target coming off the screen, something the Nuggets didn’t really have last season with Jonas Valanciunas anchoring those stretches.
Bagley also took a clear step forward in efficiency in 2025-26, hitting 64.1% of his two-point attempts and posting a 66.1% true shooting rate. That puts him right alongside Jokic, who finished at 67.0% true shooting.
Bagley showed what he can do in a big bench outing for the Dallas Mavericks against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 27th, when he put up 26 points on 11-for-14 shooting, including an 8-for-9 mark from two. After that game, former Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said, "I thought down the stretch between him (Bagley) and B-Will (Brandon Williams) running the pick-and-roll was really good."
Swap DeRozan in for B-Will, and Denver may have something usable.
The Nuggets aren’t going to recreate Jokic and Murray with their reserves, but DeRozan’s passing and Bagley’s finishing give them a real chance to stabilize the offense. Bagley’s lob threat adds a dimension Jokic himself doesn’t provide, and that matters for a second unit that doesn’t have much scoring depth beyond those two.
Alpha Diallo should help on the other end as a defensive stopper off the bench, which makes the group look a little more complete than it may first appear. For a Nuggets bench that has been under the microscope, DeRozan and Bagley might be the most important names in the mix.
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Former Nuggets Title Piece Is Suddenly In Lakers Rumors
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One of the cleaner ideas floating around league circles is a path that would clear salary and allow the Lakers to add help on the wing, with several moves tied together rather than a single swap. For Denver, the interesting part is the veteran free agent angle attached to the discussion, because it points back to a former title piece who could again be on the move as the Lakers try to solve both their short-term rotation and long-term cap sheet. [Read more 🡒]