The Nuggets’ offseason still has unfinished business, but one player has reason to like the direction things are going: Julian Strawther.
Denver still needs answers on restricted free agents Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones, and the roster also has to be filled out to at least 14 players before anyone can call the job done. Even so, the moves made so far - bringing in Marvin Bagley and Alpha Diallo while losing Tim Hardaway Jr., Jalen Pickett, Jonas Valanciunas, and possibly Bruce Brown - have already changed the shape of the bench.
That’s where Strawther stands to benefit the most.
The fourth-year wing looks positioned to move from a back-end rotation piece into a much bigger role, and maybe even into the team’s top scoring option off the bench. If Denver’s current roster picture holds, the second unit could feature Jones, Diallo, Strawther, Holmes, and Bagley, and Strawther would clearly be the most proven offensive threat in that group.
That would be a major step up from last season, when his place in the rotation could disappear on nights when the Nuggets were fully healthy. Denver’s depth often pushed him to the margins, and that showed in his scoring numbers. After averaging 7.2 points per game in his sophomore season, he dipped a bit in raw production last year, though his efficiency improved to 46.7% from the field and 38.7% from three.
Now the path is there for more shots, more minutes, and more responsibility. That matters even more because Strawther is heading into a contract year, which makes every opportunity count as he tries to boost the value of his next deal.
Whether that next contract comes from Denver is still an open question. The Nuggets’ handling of their restricted free agents this summer suggests there’s no guarantee they’ll have the willingness, or the flexibility, to pay him next offseason.
For now, though, Strawther looks like one of the biggest winners of Denver’s roster churn. And depending on what happens with Watson and Jones, he may end up being one of the keys to keeping the Nuggets’ bench respectable.
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