With training camp only a couple of weeks away and the 2026-27 season creeping closer, the Nuggets’ picture is starting to come into focus. It’s been an unusual offseason in Denver, one shaped in part by Peyton Watson’s free agency and the sign-and-trade that sent him to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Watson is out, DeMar DeRozan is in, and that gives the Nuggets a much clearer sense of what their rotation will look like when the season opens. But clarity on the roster doesn’t mean the questions are gone. If Denver wants to position itself as a real championship threat in 2027, there are still some major issues it has to settle first.
Health sits at the top of the list.
Last season, injuries hammered the Nuggets hard, and while they still managed 54 wins and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, that kind of damage is not something they can keep surviving. The concern is especially pointed with starters Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, and Christian Braun, all of whom missed significant chunks of the 2025-26 season.
Gordon is the big one. He remains one of Denver’s most important players, but he has already missed 77 games across the last two regular seasons, and he also sat out three playoff games this year. If the Nuggets are going to get where they want to go, they need him available.
A healthy version of this team should be able to hang with the West’s best. The problem is that Denver’s depth does not look sturdy enough to absorb another season like the last one if the injuries pile up again.
Defense is the other glaring issue.
The Nuggets had the league’s best offense last season, but their defense ranked 21st, and that kind of imbalance is tough to hide. No matter how explosive the attack is, that level of work on the other end won’t carry a team to a title.
A lot of the concern is baked into the roster itself. Denver simply doesn’t have a long list of standout individual defenders, which puts the burden on head coach David Adelman to build a better team scheme and get more out of the group collectively.
There were some defensive-leaning moves this offseason. The Nuggets re-signed Spencer Jones, added EuroLeague Best Defender winner Alpha Diallo, and drafted Trevon Brazile. But there’s a cost too: losing energetic pieces like Peyton Watson and Bruce Brown could be felt.
If Denver can at least climb into the top half of the league defensively, that would be a meaningful step forward.
Then there’s the second unit, where the ball-handling looks thin.
That was already a concern after last season, and the Nuggets didn’t really address it over the summer. Right now, the backup backcourt includes Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther, two-way KJ Simpson, and maybe Lonnie Walker IV if he makes the final roster.
Jones is not the ideal backup point guard for this setup, and Strawther doesn’t look like someone who can reliably take pressure off him as a ball-handler. In practical terms, a lot of the work may end up falling to 37-year-old forward DeMar DeRozan, but even his presence doesn’t fully solve the shortage.
That’s why the guard depth remains such a real worry. If Jamal Murray or Christian Braun misses time, the Nuggets could be in trouble quickly. And if Walker IV isn’t kept on the roster, that concern gets even sharper.
In Other News...
Nikola Jokic Keeps Doing Something Almost No NBA Star Ever Does
Nikola Jokic keeps standing out in a way that almost no star in the NBA ever does. The Nuggets center is already the leagues all-time leader in games with a triple-double, and he has reached that mark with a style that has never depended on flash or above-the-rim theatrics. Even with 261 dunks across the regular season and playoffs combined, Jokic has built his case on the kind of all-around production that keeps Denvers offense humming and makes every possession feel organized around him.
Last season only sharpened the contrast. Jokic averaged a triple-double with 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game while leading the league in rebounding and assists, a reminder of how much of the Nuggets identity runs through his passing, patience and control. The bigger picture is even more striking: he joined Russell Westbrook as the only player to average a triple-double in consecutive seasons, adding another layer to a resume that already reads like something basketball rarely sees. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Interest In Cam Whitmore Puts Real Pressure On Their Roster
Cam Whitmore has quickly become one of the more interesting names on the market for teams still tinkering with the back end of their rosters, and Denver is among the clubs believed to be watching. The former 20th overall pick in the 2023 draft was traded from Washington to Cleveland before being waived, leaving him as a free agent forward with one season of two-way eligibility still available.
For the Nuggets, the appeal is obvious: Whitmore brings upside, and any move for him would force the team to decide how aggressively to use its remaining roster flexibility. He is also set to receive his fully guaranteed salary from Cleveland for the 2026/27 season, which makes him a slightly unusual case as Denver weighs whether he fits as a real competition for a spot rather than just another developmental flyer. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Gordon Just Put Nuggets Rookies In A Tough Spotlight
Summer League gave the Nuggets a little glimpse of what Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins might become, and Aaron Gordon came away impressed. Both rookies showed enough promise to draw notice, with Braziles defensive versatility and physical tools standing out and Hopkins flashing a more varied offensive game. For a Denver group always balancing development with contention, those kinds of rookie moments matter, even if they come in a setting that can only tell part of the story.
Gordon also made it clear the next step is harder to define, because the two newcomers are still trying to figure out where they belong in the bigger picture. Brazile, the youngest player on the roster, looks like the more NBA-ready option, while Hopkins is likely to spend a lot of time in the G League as he rounds out his game. For now, the Nuggets have two interesting prospects and at least one unsettled question about how soon either one can carve out a real role. [Read more 🡒]