There are plenty of fresh faces for the Denver Nuggets coming into the 2026-27 season. A good portion of the bench and second unit are revamped from last year. But of the 10 returning players who aren't a part of the starting five, two of them need a larger role in what could be their breakout seasons, while two others should be afterthoughts outside of garbage time.
Zeke Nnaji and Tyus Jones need to be left behind
You would think that after six seasons of not cracking the rotation, Zeke Nnaji would have been off the team already. But alas, he has one of the more player-friendly contracts you could find, given to him by the long-gone former General Manager Calvin Booth just after the Nuggets won their first championship. You can't blame Nnaji for the contract, but you can point the finger at him for not living up to any portion of the four-year, $32 million deal.
Nnaji's numbers look more like a two-way player who's just filling in when everyone else is hurt. 4.1 points and 2.3 rebounds over 303 career games don't scream give him another chance.
The same goes for Tyus Jones. He only excels at ball control, which he is elite at. And the Nuggets do need more of it. But he'll be no better on defense than testing out DeMar DeRozan at backup point guard, while being a severe downgrade offensively. Tyus should only be played in emergency situations.
Spencer Jones and Julian Strawther need a bigger role
To be fair, Spencer Jones had a fairly large role last season after being thrust into the rotation and starting lineup due to the plethora of injuries to the starters in front of him. His physical play and hustle got him there, while his superb three-point shot and defense kept him there. Jones ended up averaging 22.1 minutes in 64 games, 37 of them starts, and earned himself a raise this offseason, signing a two-year, $12 million contract extension.
Spencer is a strong role player who will perform his job, and he should see an increase in minutes to keep Aaron Gordon well-rested and healthy.
Finally, the Nuggets need to let Julian Strawther and his offense loose next year. Strawther shot 38.7% from downtown and 46.7% from the floor, both career highs, but he only saw 15.1 minutes per game. That number needs to increase. Strawther can get downhill with a quick first step, and if the paint closes up, he can hit the floater better than anyone on the team except for Nikola Jokic.
Strawther is the only player on the bench capable of volume three-point shooting, and he should be encouraged to let the threes fly more in an expanded role. And if his defense improved at all during the offseason, it's a no-brainer to expand his role and bring him off the bench early.
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