For months, the conversation around Denver has circled back to the same issue: the bench. After losing Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Miami Heat and Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers, there was real concern that the Nuggets’ depth could be the thing that drags them down.
ESPN added fuel to that worry in its 2026-27 NBA season preview, naming the bench as Denver’s “biggest weakness.” Ramona Shelburne pointed to how quickly that part of the roster has thinned out since the championship run.
“The Nuggets' bench was a strength during their championship run, but that depth has slowly withered away each successive season as financial constraints have limited Denver's roster building,” Ramona Shelburne wrote. “This offseason, Peyton Watson was the biggest roster casualty. ...
None of this will help the devastating on/off splits that plague the Nuggets every time Jokic comes off the floor. Last year had an elite plus-10.8 net rating with Jokic, but a minus-6.5 net rating when he was off the court.”
The concern is understandable. Denver did overhaul the second unit this offseason, moving on from Hardaway Jr., Watson, Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valanciunas. But the idea that the bench is destined to be a major liability may be overstated.
The Nuggets answered with a fresh group that includes DeMar DeRozan, Marvin Bagley III, Alpha Diallo, Trevon Brazile, Cam Whitmore, and Bryce Hopkins. Hardaway Jr. and Watson are real losses, but Denver appears to have upgraded in several other spots.
The one early problem is Julian Strawther, who will miss multiple weeks to begin the season. He was supposed to handle the backup sharpshooter role left behind by Hardaway Jr., and without him, the reserve group loses some of its edge from deep.
Even so, a projected opening-night bench of Tyus Jones, Diallo, DeRozan, Spencer Jones, and Bagley gives Denver a different look, and the Nuggets also have Whitmore, Brazile, Hopkins, and DaRon Holmes in the mix. That group brings more upside on the defensive end, and DeRozan gives the second unit a proven scorer and playmaker with six-time All-Star credentials.
Shelburne’s bigger point still stands: life without Nikola Jokic on the floor remains a problem. That has been an issue for Denver for years, and there is no obvious reason to expect a full fix this season. Bagley does offer some help as a backup center, though, and that is more than the Nuggets have always had behind Jokic.
At the same time, Denver is always going to look better with Jokic on the court than without him. He is a three-time MVP and one of the best players in the world, so comparing the two situations can make the bench look worse than it really is. The Nuggets would love to improve that minus-6.5 net rating when Jokic sits, but the expectations have to stay grounded.
The bench may not be clearly better than last season’s group. But it also does not have to be the disaster some are projecting.
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For Denver, the bigger question is whether its second unit can match that kind of pressure without surrendering ground, especially against a Thunder group that looks equipped to keep bringing waves. The Nuggets also need their defense to travel quickly from preseason concern to regular-season answer, because Oklahoma City has already shown it can make opponents pay when the game tilts toward pace, spacing and sustained energy. [Read more 🡒]