Bryce Hopkins Earns Wing Minutes Only if the Defense Stops Leaking
Hopkins has shown he can finish without needing the ball, and for a rookie on a thin wing rotation the next step is defensive stops that keep Denver's five intact.
Over four games the rookie forward has scored efficiently in a small role while Denver has been badly outscored with him on the floor. With Spencer Jones and Julian Strawther still out, his minutes depend on fixing that second part.
Why he is playing at all
Hopkins is a 24-year-old rookie forward wearing number 13, and he has appeared in all four games at 16.5 minutes a night. Those minutes come from attrition. Cameron Johnson and Alpha Diallo were both listed out with an estimated return of October 30, Spencer Jones is out with a hamstring until an estimated November 2, and Strawther's knee keeps him out until an estimated November 29. Hopkins is healthy and not on the injury report, which on this roster counts for something.
The offense is already fine
His line is modest: 3.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists, with 0.8 turnovers. What stands out is how little he asks for. His usage rate is 9.5 percent, the lowest a rotation player can reasonably run next to Jokic and Jamal Murray, and his true shooting is 63.1 percent on 54.5 percent from the field and perfect free throws. He takes what the passing gives him and scores it. The only weak spot is range: one three-point attempt a game, made at 25.0 percent, so defenders can leave him to crowd Jokic.
The defense is the problem
Denver's defensive rating with Hopkins on the floor is 123.2, against 112.0 for the team as a whole. His net rating is minus 22.5. Four games is a small sample, and the lineups around him have been patched together. Still, the box score shows no steals and no blocks, and his 7.1 percent rebound rate does not finish many possessions. A low-usage forward has to give something back on defense, and so far he hasn't.
What he needs to be
Denver's best groups are built on continuity. The starting five of Aaron Gordon, Jokic, Murray, Johnson and Christian Braun was plus 13.5 together in 2025-26. Hopkins is not going to break into that group. His job is to hold the floor for the 16 minutes he gets until Johnson and Jones are back, and to give Adelman a reason to keep him in the rotation afterward. That means keeping his efficiency, taking the corner three often enough that it has to be guarded, and defending his man without help. Getting the defensive rating back toward the team's 112.0 would make him a rotation player. A one-way rookie becomes the first name cut when the wings return.
How has Bryce Hopkins played for the Nuggets so far?
In four games he is averaging 3.8 points in 16.5 minutes with a 63.1 percent true shooting mark. Denver has a minus 22.5 net rating with him on the floor, mostly because of a 123.2 defensive rating.
Will Bryce Hopkins keep his minutes when Denver gets healthy?
His minutes come from injuries to Cameron Johnson, Spencer Jones, Alpha Diallo and Julian Strawther. Whether he keeps a role after they return depends on his defense improving.
