The Denver Nuggets have only played four games, but the early picture is already starting to take shape. They’re 2-2 after beating the New Orleans Pelicans twice and dropping games to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors, and the first week has already put some familiar issues on display: defense, three-point shooting, and rebounding.
There’s plenty of basketball left - 78 games, to be exact - so nobody should be rushing to stamp a verdict on this group. But the first stretch of the season has still created a clear list of who has helped themselves and who has left more to be desired.
The loudest early success story is Trevon Brazile. The second-round rookie has surged far beyond expectations while filling in for the injured Spencer Jones, and he’s made it hard to imagine him sliding back out of the rotation once Jones returns. At 23, Brazile has taken full advantage of the opening in front of him.
In his first four NBA games, Brazile is averaging 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per game while shooting 50% from the field and 33.3% from three. He has also been tied for the team lead in offensive rebounds per game at 2.3, right alongside Nikola Jokic. That’s no small feat, considering who he’s sharing the floor with.
His first career start came Wednesday night against the Pelicans, and he looked right at home in a veteran-heavy lineup. The coaching staff now has a real decision to make once Jones is healthy, because Brazile has clearly done enough to earn a permanent role in the discussion.
Christian Braun belongs on the positive side of the ledger too. His season hasn’t been spotless, but compared with what Denver got last year, he already looks far more settled. Braun’s 2025-26 campaign was derailed by injuries, and early this season he looks healthier and more confident in his skin.
Through four games, Braun is averaging 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and a team-best 2.3 steals per game. The shooting numbers aren’t where Denver wants them yet - he’s at 46.5% from the field and 23.8% from three - but he has been active, disruptive, and much more comfortable overall.
Once the offense catches up, he should look more like the player who broke through in 2024-25. The standard is higher now, though, after his five-year, $125 million deal, and Denver needs that level to show up consistently.
On the other end, DaRon Holmes has barely been part of the conversation. Entering the season, there was at least a belief that Denver’s depth situation might open the door for him. Instead, he has played just total minutes across four games, including two DNP-CDs.
Holmes missed his entire rookie season because of injury before appearing in 25 games for the Nuggets last year, and there’s still promise in his game. But right now, he simply does not have a defined role.
If Denver ever has to go without Nikola Jokic or Marvin Bagley III because of injury, maybe that changes. Even then, though, it’s not clear how much trust the Nuggets would have in the 24-year-old big man.
He does have a team option for the 2027-28 season, and at this point, Denver may not have much incentive to keep him around.
Aaron Gordon rounds out the fallers, though this one comes with the biggest caveat. It still feels early, and he’s likely to bounce back, but there’s no denying he has started slowly. Fans were hoping for an All-Star-caliber season from him, and so far he hasn’t quite met that standard.
Gordon opened the year by being Denver’s lone offensive bright spot in the season opener, finishing with a team-high 20 points and knocking down 3 of 4 shots from deep. Since then, the touch has disappeared. Over the last three games, he is averaging 9.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 24.1% from the field and 21.4% from three.
He looked better in Wednesday’s win over the Pelicans, but one solid night doesn’t erase the slow start. Denver needs Gordon to get rolling, especially with how often he functions as its second-most important player.
In Other News...
Nuggets Rotation Suddenly Gives David Adelman A Tough New Decision
With injuries piling up around the roster, David Adelman has been forced to keep reshaping the Nuggets rotation on the fly, and the latest version has at least given Denver some useful answers. The absences of Spencer Jones, Julian Strawther, Alpha Diallo and Cameron Johnson have opened the door for new combinations, and the coach has leaned into a lineup that asks for more energy, more length and more stability from players who have not always had defined roles.
One of the clearest beneficiaries has been rookie Trevon Brazile, whose defense and rebounding have helped steady recent minutes and give the Nuggets a different look early in games. The bench has become just as intriguing, too, with Marvin Bagley III and DeMar DeRozan both making a strong push for more responsibility after the win over New Orleans, leaving Adelman with a deeper rotation puzzle even as the injury situation keeps forcing his hand. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Gordon Has Become A Real Nuggets Concern
Aaron Gordons importance to Denver has only grown as the Nuggets have tried to steady themselves through a rough stretch, and that is exactly why the current discussion around him has gotten louder. Bill Simmons raised the topic on his podcast, framing the Nuggets as a team that may be close to a panic point if Gordon is no longer able to provide the level of two-way impact they have come to expect from him alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
The concern is not just about one quiet night or a temporary dip. Gordon has been dealing with recurring soft tissue leg issues, and for a player whose value comes from constant movement, physical defense and timely offense, that is a real worry for Denver. If he cannot stay on the floor and sustain the same kind of production, the Nuggets suddenly have a much thinner margin for error than they would like at this stage. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets May Have Found The Defensive Answer Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Nuggets have already seen two very different versions of their defense against the Pelicans this season, and the latest meeting offered a much better sign for a team still trying to find reliable consistency on that end. Head coach David Adelman liked the way Denver moved from spot to spot, closed possessions with more urgency and got meaningful minutes from rookies Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins in a win that looked far more connected than their first look at New Orleans.
For Denver, the bigger question is whether this was a one-night spike or the start of something sturdier. Adelman has been looking for sharper rotation work and more force in the way his group applies pressure, and the Nuggets will need those habits to stick if they want to turn occasional defensive flashes into something they can trust as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]