The Nuggets didn’t need long to answer Utah.
Two days after dropping their preseason opener to the Jazz, Denver went back into Salt Lake City and flipped the script with a 117-106 win on Tuesday. The result won’t go into any regular-season column, but the way the Nuggets played it back certainly mattered. After opening preseason with a rough shooting night, Denver looked much sharper this time, hitting 53% of its field goals and 39% of its three-pointers.
That efficiency showed up in the work of three bench wings who kept making their case for minutes.
Alpha Diallo backed up his strong first outing with another clean performance. The 29-year-old wing, who spent his entire professional career overseas before Denver gave him a shot, has already given the Nuggets something to think about. Against Utah, he scored eight points, grabbed two rebounds, and added two steals while going 3-for-3 from the floor and 2-for-2 from deep.
His defense is the obvious calling card, but Tuesday also showed he can chip in on offense. If that continues, David Adelman may have a hard time leaving him out of the mix.
Julian Strawther also kept the pressure on. After putting up 14 points in the preseason opener, he followed with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. He did it efficiently too, shooting 4-for-7 overall, 3-for-4 from three, and a perfect 4-for-4 at the line.
With Tim Hardaway Jr. and Peyton Watson gone this offseason, Denver needs help from deep off the bench, and Strawther is the clearest answer on the roster right now. He still has to keep proving it, but Tuesday was another strong step.
Cam Whitmore rounded out the group of standouts. The 22-year-old wing scored 14 points in 15 minutes, knocking down 4 of 7 shots from the field and 6 of 7 free throws.
Whitmore brings a different kind of juice, with his downhill attack and above-the-rim game giving Denver a look it doesn’t really get elsewhere. He also has the tools to be a useful defender.
So far, he’s looked like one of the Nuggets’ biggest preseason risers, and the two-way contract may not hold him for long if he keeps this up. It wouldn’t be a shock if he ends up on a standard deal before the season is over.
In Other News...
Bruce Brown's Knicks Deal Says A Lot About Denver's New Reality
Bruce Brown is back in the kind of summer roster squeeze that has become common around the league, this time with the Knicks, who have signed several players to Exhibit 9 training camp deals as they sort through a crowded field for limited openings. New York values Brown for the same reasons many teams once did: versatility, experience and the ability to plug holes in a rotation without needing much time to adjust.
For Denver fans, the more telling part is the backdrop around his market. Brown said the teams interested in him "weren't many," and pointed to the second-apron salary cap rule as a frequent explanation, a reminder of how much the leagues spending limits can shape even familiar names. The Nuggets had room to add a veteran, but Brown never became a serious target there, a quiet sign of how different the roster-building reality is now compared with the one that once made him such a fit in Denver. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Suddenly Have A Guard Battle Fans Didn't See Coming
The Nuggets are using the preseason the way most teams use it this time of year, as a live audition for the bench, and head coach David Adelman has made it clear he wants to sort through the group before the games start counting. Denver has several new pieces in the mix, including DeMar DeRozan, Marvin Bagley III and Alpha Diallo, while the backcourt depth chart is still being sorted out behind the main rotation.
What makes the situation interesting is the squeeze it creates for the players fighting for backup guard minutes. Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther and Spencer Jones are all in the conversation, but every preseason run is carrying more weight than usual as Adelman and his staff try to decide who fits and who may be the odd man out once the roster gets trimmed down over the course of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets May Already Be Settling Their Biggest Bench Question
With Jonas Valanciunas headed overseas, the Nuggets entered the preseason with a familiar roster puzzle tucked into the middle of their depth chart: who backs up Nikola Jokic when the games start to matter? The answer may already be taking shape. Marvin Bagley III, a recent offseason addition, has logged significant minutes in exhibition play and has quickly emerged as the player most often getting that look at backup center.
DaRon Holmes and Zeke Nnaji are still part of the conversation, and Denvers rotation can always shift once the games count, but the early usage has been telling. Bagley has been positioned as the primary option behind Jokic so far, which matters for a team that depends so heavily on stability at the five. The Nuggets still have time to change course, but the preseason signs suggest this particular bench battle may be trending toward a resolution sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]