Denver's Best Five-Man Units Last Season Can't Be Run Back
Last season's three most efficient five-man groups all outscored opponents by double digits per 100 possessions, and not one of them survives on the current roster intact.
Jokic and Murray anchored two of last season's three most efficient five-man units, and Spencer Jones was the only player who showed up in both. Every other piece around them — Watson, Brown, Valanciunas, Hardaway Jr. — is gone from the 2026-27 roster, and now Jones is nursing a hamstring issue of his own.
What the Numbers Said
Denver's top five-man unit last season was N. Jokic, J. Murray, C. Johnson, P. Watson and S. Jones: 171 minutes across 13 games, a net rating of plus-20.1, scoring at 136.7 points per 100 possessions and allowing 116.6. A second grouping — J. Valanciunas, T. Hardaway Jr., Murray, B. Brown and Watson — ran 96 minutes at plus-17.5. A third, Hardaway Jr. with Jokic, Murray, Watson and Jones, posted plus-14.8 over 85 minutes.
None of Them Exist Anymore
Watson, Brown, Valanciunas and Hardaway Jr. are not on Denver's 2026-27 roster. Every one of last season's three best lineups loses at least one piece, which means none can be run back as built. What carries over is the pairing at the center of two of the three groups: Jokic, Murray and Jones together.
Jones Is the One Banged Up
Spencer Jones is sidelined by a hamstring and leg issue, expected back Oct. 11 — the date of Denver's next preseason game, against the Bulls. He was the only player who showed up in two of last season's three top-performing lineups, alongside both Jokic and Murray. Losing him for even a handful of preseason reps costs Adelman time with the one combination that already worked.
The One Number Still Holding
Jokic closed last season on six straight double-doubles, scoring in double digits while also clearing double digits in rebounds or assists every night of that stretch. Whichever five Adelman settles on, that floor is the constant the lineup data was built around. The open question is whether a new group of four can replicate what Watson, Brown and Hardaway Jr. did around him before Denver's regular-season opener, Oct. 22 against the Thunder.
Is Spencer Jones playing in Denver's next preseason game?
He is sidelined by a hamstring and leg issue, with a return expected around Oct. 11, the date of Denver's preseason game against the Bulls.
Which Nuggets lineup was most effective last season?
Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Cameron Johnson, P. Watson and Spencer Jones posted a net rating of plus-20.1 over 171 minutes, the best mark of any five-man unit Denver used.
