The Nuggets’ starting five is basically set, and that makes the next six weeks feel a little different in Denver. Training camp is still more than six weeks away, the roster sits at 14 players with one two-way guy included, and there’s still plenty of business left to handle for the 2026-27 season. But unless something major changes before camp opens, the first unit looks locked in: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic.
That group has already flashed plenty of upside in limited minutes together last season. The talent is obvious. The real question now is whether each starter can answer the specific challenge waiting for him before camp.
For Murray, the bar is simple: do it again. The 29-year-old has long carried a reputation as a big-moment scorer, but last season pushed him into another gear. When Denver got hit by the injury bug and needed him most, he delivered 25.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game while shooting 48.3% from the field and 43.5% from three.
That run earned him his first All-Star nod and a spot on the All-NBA Third Team. Even with an underwhelming playoff showing, Murray was a huge part of keeping Denver afloat.
With little depth behind him - Tyus Jones and KJ Simpson are the names in the mix - the Nuggets need that version of Murray to show up again. If he simply matches last season, Denver is in solid shape.
Braun’s situation is a little different, and a lot more complicated. In the 2024-25 season, he looked like Denver’s breakout player, putting up 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 58.0% from the field, 39.7% from deep, and 82.7% at the line. That performance led to a five-year, $125 million extension.
Then came last season, before that deal even kicked in, and the results were far less encouraging. Braun played only 44 games and averaged 12.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists with 51.9/30.1/78.2 shooting splits.
The dip showed up everywhere, though injuries were part of the picture. Now the extension is active, and the 25-year-old guard has no room for another year like that if he wants to justify the investment.
Johnson’s storyline has been tied to the trade machine for most of the offseason. For much of the summer, he looked like Denver’s most likely candidate to be moved by the start of the 2026-27 season, even if the Nuggets’ position has apparently shifted. Still, the noise is out there, and the question is how much of it sticks with him.
He’s been traded twice already, so maybe it doesn’t rattle him the way it once would have. Even so, he has to fully buy into a team that had him on the block this summer.
Last season, Johnson averaged 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while hitting 43.0% of his threes. That’s the skill Denver needs from him.
If he keeps spacing the floor like that, the Nuggets won’t have much reason to second-guess keeping him around.
Then there’s Gordon, whose issue is the one Denver knows all too well: health. He’s arguably the team’s second-most important player behind Jokic, but the Nuggets haven’t been able to count on him often enough. He played just 36 games last season and 51 the year before that, after a three-year stretch of 68 or more games.
Denver badly wants him back near that 70-game range. When Gordon is right, he’s one of the best power forwards in the league, and calling him a glue guy almost undersells what he does. If the Nuggets are going to hang with the NBA’s top teams, they need him on the floor.
And then there’s Jokic, which means the entire offseason conversation in Denver eventually circles back to the same place. Aside from Peyton Watson’s free agency saga, the main focus has been Jokic and what comes next. The three-time MVP passed on contract extensions in each of the last two offseasons, which naturally has some fans uneasy about where things could go.
Next offseason, he’ll be eligible for a historic extension. He could also position himself to become an unrestricted free agent if he declines his 2027-28 player option and decides to move on from the Nuggets. That’s the nightmare scenario, and it’s exactly why Denver has to spend this season keeping him happy.
The Nuggets are ready to write the check. What they can’t afford is a future where Jokic is gone.
The mission is to convince him this group can still chase a championship, because nobody doubts what Jokic will bring. The real test is the cast around him.
In Other News...
Nuggets Draft Record Is Raising A Tough Question About Their Depth
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What makes the latest additions worth watching is the larger question they sit inside. Denver has tried to keep adding forward depth through the draft while also sorting out the back end of the roster, and the movement around recent picks has only sharpened that conversation. Picketts departure and Tysons quick path elsewhere are reminders that finding a lasting foothold in Denver is still a challenge, even for players the Nuggets have invested in. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Cant Waste Whats At Stake With Nikola Jokic Now
The Nuggets are heading into another pivotal stretch with a roster that still starts with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, but also with the sense that the margin for error keeps shrinking. Even as Denver looks toward the 2026-27 season, the team is carrying the familiar pressure that comes with having a title core in place and not yet getting back to the level it reached in its championship run.
There is also uncertainty around restricted free agent Peyton Watson, a reminder that the Nuggets are not just managing the present but trying to protect what comes next. For a team that has not gotten past the Western Conference Finals in recent playoff runs, the bigger issue is whether it can keep pace with the Wests rising challengers long enough to keep Jokics window open and make the most of what is still in front of them. [Read more 🡒]