David Adelman doesn’t get the luxury of avoiding the Nuggets’ bench question. He has to answer it, and he has to do it now.
For Denver, the issue is bigger than whether the backup group looks clean in October or November. The Nuggets have spent recent seasons watching leads disappear when Nikola Jokic goes to the sideline, and that history hangs over everything about this revamped second unit.
This time around, the group is a strange blend: veterans like DeMar DeRozan, in-house projects like Julian Strawther, overseas experiments like Alpha Diallo, and others mixed in around them. Whether that collection can actually function is still an open question.
But Adelman’s task is clear. He has to trust the process, let the group work through the ugly stretches, and give the bench enough run to develop some real chemistry.
That means living with nights that look rough and maybe even losing a few games that could have been won by leaning harder on the starters. The alternative, though, is the same trap Denver keeps falling into.
The Nuggets cannot keep grinding down Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon just to chase a better regular-season record. In Denver, with those three squarely in the prime of their careers, the title is the point.
Everything else is secondary. If the front office and coaching staff are serious about that goal, then the bench has to be allowed to grow into its role.
That’s where the urgency comes in. The team needs fresh legs when the playoffs arrive, not a worn-down starting group and a bench nobody trusts.
The article’s point is blunt: if the starters aren’t fresh, the Nuggets have zero chance in the postseason. That’s not a warning to take lightly, especially after seeing this pattern several years in a row.
The backup players have promise, but promise doesn’t help unless they actually play. They need minutes, reps, mistakes, and confidence.
They need a chance to become something more than an afterthought. And Adelman needs to find out who he can count on when the pressure ramps up.
Maybe that means Denver settles for 48 wins instead of 54. Maybe it means a few more regular-season headaches than anyone wants. But the tradeoff is obvious: preserve Jokic, Murray, and Gordon, and give the team a real shot at making it through four playoff rounds with enough left in the tank.
That could come with some awkward side effects, too. Resting guys more often might cost Jokic a shot at MVP or Murray a shot at All-NBA.
Still, if that’s the price of staying alive in the postseason race, it’s worth paying. And if it doesn’t work, then at least the Nuggets will know the truth about this roster instead of burning out another season trying to avoid it.
In Other News...
Jokic Gave Nuggets Fans A Feel Good Moment After Another Big Night
Caleb Wilson has been one of the early preseason storylines for the Bulls, and the rookie continued to show why in a close game against Denver. Chicago fell 133-128, but Wilson still put up 17 points in the loss, adding to a strong first impression that has him averaging 17.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists through three preseason games.
The matchup carried a little extra weight for Wilson because it came against Nikola Jokic, the kind of opponent young players circle on the calendar. Jokic answered with another big night for Denver as the Nuggets kept control late, giving home fans a familiar reminder of how quickly he can tilt a game even in preseason. [Read more 🡒]
Julian Strawther Is Playing For More Than Minutes This Season
Julian Strawther enters this season with a bigger on-court opportunity and a clear chance to strengthen his case in Denver. The Nuggets are planning to give the guard an expanded role, and for a player still early in his career, those minutes can matter just as much as points or shooting numbers when it comes to establishing long-term value.
There is also a business side hanging over the discussion, even if it does not appear close to resolution right now. Denver would need to make a rookie-scale extension decision soon, but cap pressure makes a deal difficult to line up in the near term, so Strawther may have to let his play do the talking and push future negotiations down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Rotation Battle Around DeMar DeRozan Is Just Heating Up
Preseason has given David Adelman a first look at how the Nuggets might sort out a reshaped second unit, and the early focus is less on big-picture style than on the smaller lineup decisions that can define a bench group. Adelman said the staff is evaluating how to build that reserve mix around DeMar DeRozan, who is slated for a bench role this season, while also weighing different combinations that include Spencer Jones, Marvin Bagley III, Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther, Alpha Diallo, Cam Whitmore and Bryce Hopkins.
The real work now is in settling the backup shooting guard spot and finding the right balance next to DeRozan without overloading one lineup with too many overlapping pieces. Denver has time to sort through those looks, but the preseason stage is where those auditions matter most, especially with several players still trying to carve out defined roles before the rotation tightens. [Read more 🡒]