The Nuggets are set to add a veteran voice to David Adelman’s staff, with Dave Joerger expected to become Denver’s top assistant coach, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Joerger had been on Denver’s radar for a while. Marc Stein reported a couple of weeks ago that the Nuggets were viewed as an “increasingly likely” destination for him, and Stein had also noted that Joerger interviewed in June for the lead assistant job.
The 52-year-old had other options, too. He drew interest from Australia’s Melbourne United and EuroLeague club Paris Basketball, but ultimately chose to remain in the NBA in an assistant role.
Joerger brings plenty of experience to the job. He has worked as either an assistant or head coach in the league since 2007, including a long stint in Memphis before taking over as the Grizzlies’ head coach in the 2013 offseason. In three seasons leading Memphis, he went 147-99, made the playoffs each year, and was let go in May 2016.
Sacramento hired him soon after, and Joerger spent three seasons as the Kings’ head coach, finishing 98-148 before being dismissed in 2019. More recently, he has served as an assistant in Philadelphia and Milwaukee.
Denver had been searching for an experienced No. 2 behind Adelman, who is a longtime assistant himself and took over as head coach last April after Michael Malone was fired. The Nuggets finished 54-28 last season, earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, and then were knocked out in the first round by Minnesota.
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