While Nikola Jokic is scorching teams playing EuroBasket Preparation and putting the NBA on notice this summer, the Denver Nuggets have been moving pieces around and conjured up a plan to get Joker some much needed support that now looks like one of the deepest rosters in the NBA with a solid 9-man rotation. Jokic has plenty left in the tank, but with how much money he has made from basketball, and how much he enjoys relaxing and competing with his stable of horses during the off-season, the Nuggets organization needs to make every moment, and every move count and make sense before Jokic is to consider extending a max contract that will more than likely lock him in all the way up to retirement.
Leadership is what the Nuggets were lacking during their short stint in the playoffs last year after firing former Head Coach Mike Malone moments before the playoffs began. The Nuggets put up a fight and gave the 2025 Champions (Oklahoma City Thunder) a run for their money pushing 7 games in that series, but it was as clear as day that something was still off and missing in that locker room that was never completely resolved, months before their short-lived playoff run began. The departure of Malone still doesn’t sit well with most Nuggets fans and leaves huge question marks at the coaching position with interim Head Coach David Adelman. Especially since Denver didn’t extend the contract with general manager Calvin Booth. Adelman, Malone, and Booth couldn’t seem to mesh well, and get on the same page which eventually led to a chaotic ending to the Nuggets 2024-25 season.
Going back to leadership, 37-year-old 9x All-Star Veteran Russell Westbrook who averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals, will now be going into his 18th season in the NBA had a huge impact on the tenacity and fierceness that this team played with. About a month after last season ended, Westbrook declined his $3.4 million option that would extend his time in Denver for the 2025-26 season and will most likely be looking to join another team, which isn’t the ideal player to lose when mentioning the leadership role in the eyes of many Denver fans.
Considering the amount of uncertainty that looms, Denver’s management isn’t just sitting on their hands or trying to fill the small voids with mediocre players. During this offseason, the Nuggets released Michael Porter Jr, and added Jonas Valanciunas, great back up support and/or a powerful one-two punch with Nikola Jokic. They’ve also added Tim Hardaway Jr who is a sneaky good 6th man and shooter off of the parameter. Cam Johnson will also find himself in different roles coming off the bench, and Bruce Brown who is already familiar with the Denver Nuggets style of play, who had won a championship and had a pivotal role with Denver in 2023. Each of these players will play a key role and have added depth that the Nuggets have been yearning to get back on the right path to another championship.
Dante Robinson | Senior NBA Analyst for TheNSR Network
