Denver Has Three Days Before Its Wing Rotation Gets Tested
With Strawther out and Jones expected back, Denver's opening-night rotation depends on whether its best five-man unit from last season can carry the minutes the bench cannot.
Denver waived three more camp players Sunday, and RealGM reported that Spencer Jones is on track to play in the opener at Oklahoma City on Thursday. The Nuggets' best group last season was Jokic, Murray, Johnson, Watson and Jones, and two of its five are not on this roster.
What moved this weekend
Coleman Hawkins, Dane Goodwin and Emanuel Miller left the roster on Sunday. Denver now carries 17 players, and the last camp spots are settled. RealGM also reported Jones is on track for the opener. Hoops Rumors lists his return as October 22, the night of the game. Nothing in that status is firm. Julian Strawther is out, with a reported return of November 29.
Which five hold up?
Last season the unit of Jokic, Murray, Johnson, Watson and Jones outscored opponents by 20.1 points per 100 possessions over 171 minutes. It is the best evidence of what continuity buys. But Watson is not on the current roster, and neither is Hardaway, who appears in two of the three best groups. Those numbers describe a passing structure, not a lineup Adelman can send out Thursday. What carries over is the shape: Jokic at the hinge, Murray cutting off him, shooters spaced around them.
Who fills the minutes?
Nugg Love argued that Strawther's absence could speed Trevon Brazile into the rotation. Brazile scored 22 against the Clippers. Cam Whitmore added 17 in the same game. Marvin Bagley III shot 46.2 percent from three last season in 20 minutes a night, and Cameron Johnson shot 43.0 percent on 30.5. The bench has shooting. What it has not shown is how those players pass to each other when Jokic sits.
The question for Thursday
Denver's defense ranked 21st last season, and Oklahoma City eliminated the Nuggets in the second round in both 2024-25 and 2023-24. The open question is not whether the starters will score. It is whether a rotation built around Jones's health and Brazile's development can defend well enough that Jokic's passing matters in the fourth quarter.
When do the Nuggets open the 2026-27 season?
Denver opens Thursday, October 22, at Oklahoma City on ESPN. It then hosts the Pelicans on October 24 and the Warriors on October 26.
Will Spencer Jones play in the Nuggets' opener?
RealGM reported that Jones is on track to play on October 22. He is listed day to day with a hamstring issue, so his status is not guaranteed.
