The Denver Nuggets received an overlooked upgrade from Peyton Watson when they signed DeMar DeRozan. And it's an upgrade the Nuggets desperately could have used multiple times last year. Health and availability. DeRozan is durable and has been throughout most of his career. Watson wasn't so much.
The Nuggets were no strangers to injuries in 2025-26. Their starters alone missed a combined 136 games. Nikola Jokic missed 17, Cameron Johnson missed 28, Christian Braun missed 38, and Aaron Gordon missed 46. When Jamal Murray, who only missed 7, is your barometer of health, it must have been a rough season. Watson missed 28 himself, plus six in the first round of the playoffs.
But DeRozan has only missed 27 total games over the last five seasons combined. His durability alone gives the Nuggets firm footing and an upgrade over the outgoing Watson in that department.
DeRozan has been a picture of health for the most part
Watson missed 14 games in 2024-25 and the above-mentioned 28 last season. DeRozan has more or less been a picture of availability, and you have to go back to his 2014-15 season to find an extended absence from the lineup. That's key for the Nuggets in 2026-27, especially with how fragile Gordon and Johnson have been over the past few years.
Gordon has missed a combined 100 games over the last four years, and Johnson has missed 117! The Nuggets desperately need someone who's just going to be available day in and day out. Sure, injuries can be chalked up to bad luck, but they're a part of the game. And once they start adding up, it feels like a player will just keep getting hurt. Like we've seen with Gordon and Johnson.
DeRozan will still most likely get plenty of starts
DeRozan is likely to head to the Nuggets bench and play as a heavily used sixth man. It'll be an adjustment he'll have to make for the first time in his career, as he's started every game he's played outside of a dozen in his rookie campaign. But he'll still probably see plenty of starts playing behind the oft-injured Gordon/Johnson duo.
And that's a nice spot for the Nuggets. To have a six-time All-Star, albeit a waning 37-year-old, coming off the bench is a luxury that most teams will never experience. However, fans will hold out hope that this is the year the Nuggets can finally be the picture of health. But we won't hold our breath.
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