The Denver Nuggets spent their offseason trying to patch holes, but one glaring issue never really got solved: what to do about the paint.
That was the flaw that helped sink them against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. Denver couldn’t keep teams from getting downhill, and once an attacker got into the lane, the finish was usually easy. No move was made to directly address that problem, which leaves the Nuggets leaning on effort, coaching, and whatever defensive adjustments they can manufacture from within.
The Timberwolves exposed it in brutal fashion. Denver gave up 68 points in the paint in Game 3 and 64 more in the series-clinching Game 6.
Even that, though, wasn’t the most troubling part. The warning signs had already been there, including the late-season meeting with the Utah Jazz, who were tanking for draft position but still piled up 84 points in the paint against the Nuggets just weeks before the postseason.
There is at least one new voice in the building who should help. Denver brought in Dave Joerger as a defense-minded assistant, and head coach David Adelman will need to lean on him for scheme ideas. At minimum, the Nuggets need a different plan.
Some of that can come from personnel they already have, starting with new addition Alpha Diallo, who could help raise the pressure on the perimeter. Denver also needs Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic in better positions to help protect the rim area.
Jokic is not a rim protector in the classic sense, but he has to do a better job forcing tougher looks. At times last season, he simply wasn’t doing that.
The deeper problem is that the Nuggets have to find a level of defense they haven’t consistently shown lately. They finished 21st and 22nd in defensive rating over the past two seasons, a sharp drop from three years ago when they were eighth. The loss of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, one of their best perimeter defenders, played a big role in that slide.
That’s why Diallo matters so much. He was the EuroLeague’s Best Defender last year, and there’s a real chance he ends up being Denver’s best defender. But until the Nuggets make real changes in how they’re playing on that end, the paint will stay open, and that’s a problem that could follow them into 2026-27.
In Other News...
Nuggets Explored More In Peyton Watson Trade Than Fans Realized
The Nuggets decision to move Peyton Watson was not simply a clean trade for future draft capital, even if that is how it ultimately came together. Around the league, Denver did more homework on the market than many fans realized, weighing whether a player return might make more sense before settling on the simpler path of picks. With the roster and payroll already shaped by a championship timeline, the front office had to balance short-term help against the flexibility it wants to preserve.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kris Dunn were both part of the broader conversation as Denver looked at possible sign-and-trade structures, but the Nuggets never reached the point of making official offers. Salary-cap complications loomed over every version of the idea, and the teams preference for draft capital over added salary pushed the deal toward a cleaner finish. What seemed like a straightforward asset swap, then, was actually the end result of a more complicated search that may say as much about Denvers roster-building priorities as the trade itself. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Just Added A Veteran Scorer With A Lot Riding On It
Denvers offseason suddenly got a lot more interesting with the reported addition of DeMar DeRozan, a veteran scorer whose rsum still carries real weight around the league. The six-time All-Star became a free agent after being waived by Sacramento, and the Nuggets are now set to bring him in on a one-year deal that adds another proven option to a roster built around Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray.
The move gives Denver 14 players on guaranteed contracts and pushes the team over the second luxury tax apron, a sign the front office is willing to pay for a chance to strengthen the rotation around its core. DeRozan has spent much of his career as a half-court shot creator and late-game bucket-getter, exactly the kind of veteran presence that can change the texture of a playoff series if everything clicks. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Rotation Has One Big Concern Behind Denvers Familiar Starters
Denvers projected starting five for 2026-27 still looks familiar enough to anchor another run, with Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic expected to open games together. The bigger changes have come around the edges, where the Nuggets have spent the offseason reshaping the bench and trying to give the rotation more punch behind the usual core. DeMar DeRozan is expected to slide into a reserve role, giving Denver another proven scorer to lean on when the starters sit.
The concern is what happens when the second unit needs a true organizer at point guard, because that spot remains unsettled. Denver is weighing a nine-man rotation and does not appear inclined to depend on a traditional backup floor general, with Tyus Jones not seen as a reliable rotation fixture. That leaves the Nuggets with more scoring depth than theyve had in a while, but also a real question about who keeps the offense organized once Murray heads to the bench. [Read more 🡒]