Beat Writers Are Circling the Same Bench Question From Four Angles
Denver's own beat writers spent the week diagnosing four different problems — physicality, DeRozan's new job, Harris nostalgia and a backup point guard hunt — that all come down to who touches the ball when Jokic rests.
Four separate items from Nugg Love's David Decker and Ben Handler anchor this stretch of coverage, each checked here against Denver's actual numbers from last season and this fall's roster and cap sheet. Most of it holds up; the Harris reunion talk is the one storyline the cap math argues against.
A physicality problem, named plainly
Nugg Love's David Decker wrote that Denver got the message after the Timberwolves exposed a physicality problem, without laying out the exact sequence. The Nuggets' own numbers back the diagnosis: a defense that ranked 21st last season, a defensive rating of 116.0 against an offense that finished first in the league. A team with a 5.2 net rating can still lose on the defensive end, and that's the gap Decker is pointing at.
DeRozan learns a new job
Two Nugg Love pieces, one from Decker and one from Ben Handler, describe David Adelman building second-unit offense around DeMar DeRozan, with DeRozan himself talking about initiating rather than finishing possessions. That's a real change: last season DeRozan started 77 games and logged 31.2 minutes a night as a lead scorer, not a facilitator. Moving him into a passing role with reserves would change how the ball finds shooters once Murray or Jokic rest.
A Harris reunion runs into the cap
Decker also floated a tempting reunion for Gary Harris after his release, while noting it clashes with Denver's roster reality. The team's own numbers make that concrete: payroll of $221.1M sits above the $209.0M first apron and the $200.4M tax line, and the 21-man roster already carries guards Julian Strawther, Lonnie Walker IV, KJ Simpson and Alpha Diallo. Nostalgia and cap math point opposite ways here.
The backup point guard hunt, unresolved
Decker linked a Ryan Nembhard waiver move to Denver closing in on a backup point guard, but the roster in hand doesn't show it yet: Tyus Jones and KJ Simpson are still the only ball handlers listed behind Jamal Murray. Take it as a beat writer's read on where Denver is looking, not a completed move.
Is Denver actually going to sign Gary Harris?
Nothing here confirms it. Nugg Love raised the idea after his release, but Denver's existing guard depth and a payroll already above the first apron argue against adding another contract.
Is DeMar DeRozan moving to the bench this season?
Reports describe David Adelman building second-unit offense around DeRozan and DeRozan discussing how he'll initiate possessions, a shift from his 31.2 minutes a night as a starter last season, but no games have been played yet to confirm the role.
