The Denver Nuggets may still have one big offseason question hanging over them, but the larger issue is harder to fix than a single roster decision. Peyton Watson’s future is part of the conversation, yet even if he comes back, it doesn’t solve the Nuggets’ bigger shortage: a dependable shot creator behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
That flaw was easy to overlook during the regular season. Denver ranked second in the league in field-goal percentage at 49.6 percent, finished fourth in assists at 29.0 per game, and sat third in turnovers at 12.9 per game. On paper, the offense looked sharp enough to carry them.
The playoffs told a much harsher truth.
Minnesota stripped away the comfort Denver had enjoyed, limiting the Nuggets to 43.6 percent shooting from the field. And even that series loss comes with a warning label: if Denver had slipped past the Timberwolves, two more opponents with elite paint protection and perimeter defense were waiting in the next two rounds.
Watson’s absence in the Nuggets-Wolves series left one more what-if on the table. It’s impossible to know exactly what he would have changed, though it would have been useful for him to be healthy enough to play and show he deserves the contract he is reportedly seeking this summer.
But the real issue goes beyond Watson. Even if he’s back in Denver, the Nuggets still don’t have a clear answer for who can create offense on the dribble or generate easy looks for others.
Tyus Jones is next on the point guard depth chart behind Murray, but the 30-year-old, once known as the league’s best at protecting the ball, has looked washed over the last couple of seasons. Banking on him to steer the offense feels like a risky bet for a team that wants to be taken seriously as a title contender.
There’s also the Ben Simmons idea. He was once one of the league’s top playmakers and a two-time All-Defensive First Team selection, but injuries and fading confidence have changed the picture. What he is now is far less certain.
The financial side makes the whole search even trickier. Any meaningful free-agent swing would come with real risk after Denver matched the Oklahoma City Thunder’s two-year, $12 million offer sheet for Spencer Jones, a move that pushed the team onto the second apron and added $32 million to its luxury tax bill.
So the Nuggets are staring at a real problem on the ball-handling and shot-creation front. Still, it’s hard to completely dismiss a team built around a future Hall of Famer who is still in his prime and surrounded by capable pieces. Whether Watson is part of that group when the regular season opens is still unresolved.
In Other News...
Nuggets And Peyton Watson Now Have A Standoff Fans Will Notice
The Nuggets offseason has quietly turned into one of the more delicate roster situations in the league, with restricted free agent Peyton Watson at the center of it. Denver has interest in keeping the young wing, but the conversation has clearly moved beyond simple admiration, as contract talks have settled into a standoff that could shape how the team handles the rest of its summer business.
Watsons market is no longer just a Nuggets issue, either. There have been sign-and-trade calls from around the league, and the October 1 deadline for restricted free agents to accept qualifying offers is now looming over every discussion. For Denver, the real question is whether this is a brief negotiation pause or the start of a more complicated separation. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Just Lost One Potential Answer Behind Jamal Murray
The Nuggets entered the summer with Jamal Murray still needing a reliable partner in the backcourt, and Tyus Jones now looks like the most straightforward answer as the backup point guard. Even so, there has been lingering discussion that Denver could use another guard who can steady the offense when Murray sits, especially after last seasons roster churn made depth behind him a real point of emphasis.
Russell Westbrook had been part of that conversation as a possible reunion option, the kind of familiar name who could have given Denver another layer of experience and pace off the bench. Instead, with Westbrook officially stepping away after 18 NBA seasons, the Nuggets lose one more potential path to reinforcing that spot, leaving the front office to weigh whether the current setup is enough or whether the backcourt still needs a different kind of answer. [Read more 🡒]