Denver's New Depth Won't Touch the Lineups That Already Worked
The three players who finally stuck to Denver's roster this week are camp-deal depth, not answers to what made the Nuggets' best five-player groups work last season.
Emanuel Miller, Coleman Hawkins and Dane Goodwin joined the Nuggets on September 25, the only additions from a churning week to survive past a few days. None of last season's top-performing units featured a player like them, and none featured Aaron Gordon either.
Who actually stayed
Emanuel Miller, Coleman Hawkins and Dane Goodwin joined Denver on September 25. That stood out only because of what came before it: Reese Dixon-Waters and Keonte Jones arrived and left within a day, and Boopie Miller signed an Exhibit 10 deal on September 22 and was gone by the 23rd. A September 26 report on minor roster moves, credited to Paul Garcia, folded Denver's moves into a wider list of leaguewide camp cuts.
The units that already work
None of last season's most effective five-player combinations needed new blood. The top one - Jokic, Murray, Watson, Johnson and Spencer Jones - posted a net rating of plus-20.1 over 171 minutes, with an offense scoring at 136.7. A second group built around J. Valanciunas and T. Hardaway Jr. ran plus-17.5 across 96 minutes. Both leaned on continuity, not depth additions.
Where the new names fit
Miller, Hawkins and Goodwin arrive as camp competition, not replacements for what those groups produced. Denver's passing structure worked because Jokic had shooters who moved without the ball - Cameron Johnson at 43.0 percent from three last season, Spencer Jones at 39.6. Neither newcomer projects into that group yet; their path runs through minutes battles further down the rotation.
The absence in the data
Aaron Gordon appears in none of the top lineups, and his health status is still the open question. His designation flipped from limited to cleared and back on September 13, and a September 19 report on camp questions didn't resolve it. Denver opens the preseason October 4 against the Jazz, with the answer likely to arrive before the regular-season opener October 22 at Oklahoma City.
Did Denver's new roster additions change the top lineups from last season?
No. Emanuel Miller, Coleman Hawkins and Dane Goodwin signed camp deals on September 25; last season's best-performing groups were built around Jokic, Murray, Watson, Johnson and Spencer Jones.
Is Aaron Gordon healthy heading into camp?
His status remains unresolved. A designation flip on September 13 and a September 19 report on camp questions have not settled it.
