The Numbers That Describe Denver Right Now Have Little to Do With Scores
The numbers that actually describe Denver right now are not about preseason scores, but about a top-tier offense, a hub who runs the whole operation, and a six-week hole on the wing.
In Friday's preseason finale at Los Angeles, Denver's starters scored 78 of the team's 121 points and its reserves added 41, a split that says more about this particular roster than about who wins games that count. The larger numbers - a 5.2 net rating last season, Nikola Jokic's 10.7 assists a game, and a six-week absence for Julian Strawther - describe the team Denver actually is.
A net rating of 5.2
Last season Denver scored at a 121.2 rate and allowed 116.0, a net rating of 5.2 that ranked seventh in the league. That gap is why the roster returned almost unchanged this fall: a top-five offense is worth protecting. It is a 2025-26 number, built across 82 games, not a preseason split decided in three.
Jokic's 10.7
Nikola Jokic averaged 10.7 assists over 65 games last season, the number that defines how Denver scores - through one passer rather than isolation. It is the clearest evidence of why continuity matters more here than on most rosters: replace the hub and the offense changes shape. The figure comes from last season and has not yet been measured this fall.
78 and 41
In Friday's finale at Los Angeles, Denver's starters scored 78 points and its reserves scored 41. The closing lineup in the final five minutes - Alpha Diallo, Bryce Hopkins, DeMar DeRozan, Marvin Bagley III and Tyus Jones - was entirely reserves, finishing a 121-106 win built mostly by the group that started it. One preseason finale, against a Lakers team already down to its own bench by that point, proves only so much.
Six weeks
Julian Strawther's knee sprain, diagnosed this week, is expected to cost him roughly six weeks, with a return eyed for Nov. 29. That removes a wing rotation piece exactly as the schedule turns real on Oct. 22. The number is a timeline, not a guarantee - knee injuries have been known to run longer than their first estimate.
Is Julian Strawther playing when the Nuggets open the season?
No. Strawther is out with a knee sprain and not expected back until around Nov. 29, missing the start of the regular season.
What is Denver's record this preseason?
Denver finished preseason 2-1, including a 121-106 win at the Lakers on Oct. 16.
