Training camp is where the Denver Nuggets can start answering the questions that hung over a frustrating offseason, and there are three threads that could shape everything once the group gets to work.
First and foremost, the defense has to be better. The Nuggets have finished with the NBA’s 21st-ranked defense in each of the last two seasons, and even last year’s league-best offense couldn’t fully cover for that weakness.
With Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in place, scoring is rarely the issue. Keeping teams from picking them apart on the other end is what will decide whether this group can be taken seriously as a contender.
That’s why the addition of veteran assistant Dave Joerger matters. Denver brought him in to work as David Adelman’s lead assistant, which says plenty about the direction the team wants to go. The improvement still has to come from the whole roster, but Joerger gives the Nuggets a new voice as they try to sharpen that side of the floor.
The other major camp storyline is how the new faces fit around a starting group that stayed intact. DeMar DeRozan, Marvin Bagley, Alpha Diallo, Trevon Brazile, Bryce Hopkins and Lonnie Walker IV all enter the mix, and reports suggest Cam Whitmore could also be on his way to Denver before camp, which would add another athletic wing to the competition for the final roster spot.
DeRozan is expected to anchor the second unit as the new sixth man, and if the 37-year-old looks like the player Denver expects, he could change the shape of the bench. Diallo, who won EuroLeague Best Defender, brings real defensive upside, even if the adjustment to the NBA remains a question. Bagley is a known commodity, but how he fits into the backup frontcourt is still something the Nuggets need to sort out.
Brazile may be the most intriguing of the newcomers. The 23-year-old rookie out of Arkansas arrives as Denver’s most athletic player, and his mix of physical tools, defensive ability, a developing three-point shot and rebounding gives the Nuggets something they may want to lean into right away.
That leads to the final issue: the backup frontcourt battle. Last season, that area was a weak spot, and now Denver has decisions to make. Spencer Jones, Bagley, DaRon Holmes, Zeke Nnaji and Brazile are all in the mix for minutes at power forward and center behind the starters.
Jones and Bagley should be regulars, but the rest of the rotation picture is still open. The Nuggets want to see Holmes make a jump after injuries slowed the start of his NBA career, though he still has to earn his place.
Nnaji appears to be out of favor, but moving a player who isn’t playing is never simple. Brazile could force his way into the conversation quickly with a strong camp, though patience may still be part of the equation.
For now, Denver’s bench looks like it could be built around Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther, DeMar DeRozan, Spencer Jones and Marvin Bagley. Even so, the Nuggets would love to see Diallo, Brazile and Holmes get real chances to prove they belong. The backup frontcourt, in particular, is going to demand plenty of attention from Adelman and his staff.
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One name that has surfaced is Cam Whitmore, though the way Denver views him is more about adding depth than solving the backup-point-guard question. That is where the fit becomes tricky, because the Nuggets still seem to be searching for someone who can truly ease the burden when Murray is hounded, and the need for another reliable playmaker behind him remains one of the rosters clearest unfinished items. [Read more 🡒]
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That pressure is part of why every extra wing or scoring option matters, and why Denver is expected to keep looking around even with training camp still on the horizon. One former first-round pick who suddenly fits that conversation has already become available, and the Nuggets have at least shown they are paying attention as they weigh how much more they can realistically add. [Read more 🡒]