Previewing the Denver Nuggets for the 2026-27 Season
The Denver Nuggets are coming off a very underwhelming and disappointing season. They had a very successful regular season at 54-28, securing the 3 seed, but then a total disaster occurred in the playoffs when they lost to the Timberwolves once again, even though Minnesota was shorthanded.
The roster is basically the same, but they did make a very nice addition in DeMar DeRozan. He can provide some scoring depth, and while he may be older now, if he can get in sync with Nikola Jokić, he could still have a big season.
Like the Rockets, I think the regular season may not be as important for this team. It is more about getting to the playoffs and making a statement. We all know this team can win 50-55 games, but ever since their title in 2023, their playoff performances have been pretty underwhelming. We will see if that can change this year.
The Roster
Point Guards — Jamal Murray, Tyus Jones, K.J. Simpson (Two-Way Contract)
Shooting Guards — Christian Braun, Lonnie Walker IV, Alpha Diallo
Small Forwards — DeMar DeRozan, Cameron Johnson, Julian Strawther
Power Forwards — Aaron Gordon, Spencer Jones, Trevon Brazile (Two-Way Contract), Bryce Hopkins (Two-Way Contract)
Centers — Nikola Jokić, Marvin Bagley III, Zeke Nnaji, DaRon Holmes II
Like I stated, the roster is more or less the same. Adding DeMar DeRozan is the biggest move, and also adding veterans Marvin Bagley III and Lonnie Walker IV definitely won't hurt.
The thing about the Nuggets is always going to be Nikola Jokić. He is still a top-three player in the world, and some may argue he is the best. Whenever a team has a superstar like him, they are going to be competitive no matter what players are around him, as long as he stays healthy.
Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray aren't really getting any better at this stage of their careers. I thought this team should have made some major changes over the offseason instead of mostly running it back, and we will see how that plays out.
Biggest Questions
The biggest questions around this team will come at playoff time. Where the Nuggets end up in the standings, what matchup they get, and whether they are healthy will matter a lot.
Another first-round exit, no matter how good of a regular season they have, would be unacceptable. Nikola Jokić may have one title, but the narrative around him in the playoffs is still very murky. Even another deep run or beating a really high-seeded team would be huge for him and the perception surrounding him in the postseason.
Another major question I have for this team is Head Coach David Adelman. I think he is on the hot seat in a major way. He has done nothing so far to prove that he is an upgrade from Michael Malone, who they fired midseason a couple of years ago.
The Nuggets organization has shown that it has a lot of confidence in Adelman, but I believe if the Nuggets get off to a rocky start, hit some major bumps in the road during the regular season, or he starts to lose the locker room, they could move on from him.
Assistant coaches Dave Joerger or Jared Dudley could be intriguing options to become an interim head coach if that happened. This is all speculation, but it will be something to monitor throughout the season.
The last major question surrounding this team is whether they will be able to improve defensively. The Nuggets have ranked 21st defensively for back-to-back seasons, and we know defense wins championships. That has been one of the biggest reasons why they have not been able to make another deep playoff run recently.
With the roster being more or less the same and the same coaching staff still in place, I really cannot see them improving much on that side of the ball. They also lost Peyton Watson, who was one of the best perimeter defenders on the team.
I think it could get really ugly defensively for them this season, and I would be shocked if they made a major improvement. They have not made the necessary changes to combat their defensive issues, and you could even argue they have gotten worse in that aspect.
Prediction Markets
Some of the current future betting lines for the Nuggets are as follows:
Regular-season win total: 48.5
To win the NBA Finals: +2500 (10th-best odds)
To win the Western Conference: +1100 (3rd-best odds)
To reach the Conference Finals: +400 (3rd-best odds)
To reach the Conference Semifinals: -105 (3rd-best odds)
To win Division (+900 2nd-best odds)
To make the playoffs: -1100
To miss the playoffs: +700
To participate in the Play-In: +290
To win the NBA Cup: +1600 (7th Best Odds
These odds are definitely above average overall, and some are much closer to the top of the league.
They suggest the Nuggets are expected to finish around 3rd or 4th in the Western Conference, which definitely seems reasonable considering they have finished around that range, or even higher, over the past few seasons.
Final Prediction and Outlook
It would be a major shock if the Nuggets did not make the playoffs. I do not see that happening, but I think the road is going to be much tougher for them than usual because of the trajectory this franchise has been on and the fact that they did not do much this offseason to clearly make themselves better.
The future of Nikola Jokić could also have some major question marks. He is still yet to sign another extension, and if the Nuggets have a poor season, he may be more hesitant to do so. I believe the ceiling for this team is just over 50 wins and the 3 seed, while the floor is hovering around .500 and finishing as the 8 seed.
My prediction is that the Nuggets finish 44-38 and end up in the Play-In.
Final Prediction
44-38 — 7 Seed — First-Round Exit
Eli Saari
@ThatManChe On X
@Sidelines_SN On X
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