The Nuggets opened the season with more questions than answers about their bench, and Thursday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t clear much up. David Adelman kept the starting group intact, but the way he mixed and matched beyond that showed he’s still testing ideas for how this rotation should actually function.
One of the first signs came with Nikola Jokic. A week before opening night, Adelman said he did not want to play a starter with the second unit.
That plan didn’t hold. Jokic stayed out for the entire first quarter and finished the period alongside Tyus Jones, Alpha Diallo, DeMar DeRozan, and Trevon Brazile.
The same kind of experimentation showed up again in the third quarter, when Jokic and Christian Braun played the full period with a blend of starters and reserves. Denver never really settled into lineups that clicked with Jokic, and the center ended up with a team-worst minus-20. Still, the message from Adelman was clear: he was willing to try different combinations, even if the results were uneven.
That flexibility may not last in exactly the same form. Adelman will likely want to manage Jokic’s minutes more carefully as the season goes on, but opening night showed he’s open to using the superstar with the second unit despite his earlier stance.
Alpha Diallo also stood out because of necessity and opportunity. With Julian Strawther out, Diallo was the first option off the bench to fill that role, and Denver leaned on the first-year wing more than expected. When Cameron Johnson exited after halftime with an injury, Diallo stepped into his spot to start the second half with the starters.
It wasn’t an ideal situation for the Nuggets, but it did show real trust in Diallo. He was on the floor in spots that matter, and even with the roster healthy, it’s hard to see him staying glued to the sideline for long. If Johnson is still unavailable next game, Diallo may even be in line to start.
The bench picture was also shaped by how much the stars played. Jamal Murray logged 37 minutes and Jokic 35, which left less room than expected for Tyus Jones and Marvin Bagley III to influence the game. Jones played just nine minutes total and only two in the second half, even though the Nuggets had spent training camp talking up the Jones-Bagley pick-and-roll.
Adelman had been vocal about what those two could bring, saying, "We've had more talented rosters here, but sometimes having the same kind of players 1-15 can hurt you."" We haven't had a guy like Tyus in a long time.
Monte was very much like Tyus."" Marvin's a lob threat.
We haven't had that in while. Mason Plumlee was."
Bagley ended up with 11 minutes and made the most of them. Denver also survived the non-Jokic minutes in a way it hasn’t always been able to, and Bagley’s presence as a backup center was part of that. That alone makes him one of the bench pieces the Nuggets may lean on more often as the season unfolds.
For now, though, the opener made one thing obvious: Adelman is still figuring out how he wants this rotation to look, and the answers are going to keep coming in real time.
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The victory still came with an edge. Jokic made clear afterward that he did not appreciate the reaction from some fans during the game, turning a stirring rally into something more personal for a team that expects its building to be a source of energy, not doubt. For a Nuggets group trying to settle in and defend its home floor, the message from its biggest star was unmistakable: resilience is part of the identity, and he wants the crowd to match it. [Read more 🡒]