The Denver Nuggets spent much of last season chasing a fix for the same old problem: what happens when Nikola Jokic leaves the floor.
Even after adding veteran center Jonas Valanciunas in the offseason, the non-Jokic minutes still turned into a mess far too often. When Jokic checked out at the top of the second and fourth quarters, the Nuggets kept seeing leads slip away.
That forced head coach David Adelman to get creative. He started mixing and matching until he found a lineup that could at least survive by leaning into speed and athleticism. It was the small-ball group, a patchwork answer born out of necessity.
This season, though, the Nuggets may not need to reach for that kind of workaround nearly as often. The additions of Marvin Bagley III and rookie Trevon Brazile give Adelman more ways to keep the second unit from collapsing when Jokic rests.
Bagley should help Denver avoid those awkward center minutes that became such a headache last year. Valanciunas eventually played his way out of the rotation when the Nuggets got fully healthy for a couple of weeks in March. The issue was clear: he wasn’t getting stops, and he was getting worked in the paint, which pushed Adelman to plan B.
Bagley isn’t being sold as some elite defensive anchor. He isn’t that.
But compared with Valanciunas, his mobility is a real upgrade. He brings the kind of athletic profile that fits the tempo Adelman was trying to inject into that second group.
Last season, Spencer Jones had to hold down the center spot in those small-ball looks at 6-foot-7. That’s not a role Denver should need him to fill again if Bagley gives them even functional minutes there.
Brazile adds another layer. At 6-foot-10, he’s more of a power forward, but he moves well, has the wingspan to recover, and can help at the rim. He also brings three-point range, which gives the Nuggets another way to stretch a defense if they want to play bigger without losing too much quickness.
The second unit might not be the weak spot people assume it is.
Jones is still expected to back up both small forward and power forward. Alpha Diallo, the Euroleague Defensive Player of the Year, gives Denver a legitimate stopper who can defend the other team’s best player from 1 through 4. He’s not Peyton Watson on that end, but he’s the closest thing the Nuggets can get on a minimum salary contract.
DeMar DeRozan brings another wrinkle. He can score, and he could also handle backup point guard duties when Jamal Murray sits.
Put it together, and Denver looks built a little differently this time. Bigger.
More athletic. Less desperate to survive with a small lineup.
And if that all works the way the Nuggets hope, the emergency small-ball fix from last season could stay buried where it belongs.
In Other News...
Nuggets Fans Will Love Spencer Jones Mindset Behind His New Deal
Spencer Jones is approaching his new Nuggets deal with the kind of perspective that tends to resonate in a market that appreciates role players who know exactly who they are. The restricted free agent signed a two-year, $12 million contract in Denver, and instead of talking about luxury upgrades or lifestyle inflation, he framed the money as a chance to build something that lasts well beyond basketball.
Jones said that after taxes and fees, the annual salary leaves him with a little more than $3 million to work with, and his plan is to think like an investor first and a spender second. He spoke about putting a significant portion of it toward venture opportunities and savings, with the bigger goal being financial freedom and long-term wealth rather than a short-term change in how he lives. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Bench Suddenly Has One Loss Fans Should Worry About Most
The Nuggets spent the offseason reshaping the back end of the roster, and not all of the changes have carried the same weight. Jonas Valanciunas was let go to clear salary cap space, with Marvin Bagley coming in to fill the opening, while Bones Hyland and Tim Hardaway Jr. also moved on as Denver trimmed and reworked its depth chart. For a team that has lived on balance and flexibility, the bench turnover is the kind of thing that can look manageable at first glance.
Peyton Watson is the departure that stands out most for Denvers rotation, especially after his move to Cleveland in exchange for a first-round pick. The Nuggets did add DeMar DeRozan, but they have not made a substantial move to replace what Watson brought to the second unit, leaving a familiar question hanging over the roster construction. If the front office believes the answers are already in house, the season will have to prove it. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets May Have Found The Offseason Answer Their Defense Needed
The Nuggets have spent the past few seasons trying to steady a defense that never quite matched the rest of the roster, and the issue showed up again in 2025-26 when they slipped to 21st in the league. With the frontcourt and perimeter both needing more resistance, Denver went into the offseason looking for a player who could give it a different look, and Alpha Diallo became the latest swing at solving that problem.
Diallo arrives with a reputation for handling tough assignments and bringing some much-needed defensive depth, which matters for a team that has had to patch holes when injuries hit. For Denver, the appeal is simple: if he can translate that value to the NBA level, he could become more than a role player and instead be one of the pieces that helps change the tone on that end of the floor. [Read more 🡒]