The Denver Nuggets may be carrying some rough offseason baggage, but there’s still a real case for this group to bounce back in a big way in 2026-27.
A first-round playoff exit has dragged expectations down, and the talk around Denver has centered on Nikola Jokic’s rocky contract situation, Peyton Watson’s disappointing departure, and ownership not spending like a team with championship ambitions. Even so, the roster still has plenty of punch. DeMar DeRozan arrived to replace Watson, and with Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon still driving the machine, the Nuggets don’t look like a team that should be sleeping on anyone.
One bold call: Denver can top its best season of the Jokic era. That benchmark came in 2023-24, when the Nuggets went 57-25.
This group could have a different kind of fuel. That year’s team was riding the high of a title run; this one should be angry after an ugly playoff finish.
A four-win jump from last season’s 54 feels very realistic.
And last season’s 54 wins came while the injury list kept growing. Jokic, Cameron Johnson, Gordon, Christian Braun, and Peyton Watson all missed meaningful time, yet Denver still finished with the league’s top offense and kept piling up wins anyway.
There’s also a strong sign hiding in the lineup data. The expected starting five of Murray, Braun, Johnson, Gordon, and Jokic only shared the floor for 23 games last season, but they won 18 of them.
Over a full 82-game pace, that points to 64 wins. If the group stays healthier, 58 wins doesn’t sound like a stretch at all.
DeRozan is the swing piece here. At 37, he’s obviously closer to the finish line than the beginning, but Denver may have landed a major bargain on a veteran minimum deal. The fit looks tailor-made for the second unit, where the Nuggets badly need shot creation and offense.
There was some chatter about DeRozan starting, but that doesn’t really make sense. He looks far more valuable as the bench’s main scorer and playmaker, and that role could put him squarely in the Sixth Man of the Year race.
In fact, he might be good enough to win it. He put up 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game for the Kings last season, and while those numbers should dip a bit, he should still be right in the middle of the 6MOY conversation.
If Denver is winning at the level it thinks it can, that only helps DeRozan’s case. Team success could become part of the award push, the same way the Nuggets would lean on Jokic in an MVP race.
Not every forecast is rosy, though. Murray, fresh off his first career All-Star nod, could have a harder time getting back there in 2026-27.
That doesn’t mean he’s headed for a bad year. It just means the path to another All-Star selection is much steeper.
His case last season got a boost from the Nuggets’ injury mess. During the All-Star voting window, Jokic was out, and Murray was carrying the offense with 27.7 points and 8.6 assists per game in January. Denver would prefer not to need that version of him again.
The Western Conference also makes the task tougher. With 12 players selected from each conference, Murray is facing a crowded field of stars, and the competition is simply too deep to feel great about a repeat All-Star spot. He may deserve it by February, but getting voted in again will not be easy.
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 🡒]