Over the last few years, the Denver Nuggets have been one of the best clutch teams in the NBA. However, last year they fell flat a few times in close games and, uncharacteristically, took losses that didn't need to happen. But they just added another elite option to turn to in the clutch, DeMar DeRozan, who could pay dividends when the game is on the line.
I'll preface this by saying that DeRozan isn't going to win games in the clutch with his defense. But offensively, the Nuggets couldn't have found a much better option, except perhaps Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, options they obviously already had. In fact, DeRozan finished third in the Clutch Player of the Year voting in 2022-23, and second in 2023-24, his final two seasons with the Chicago Bulls. Jokic finished 13th and 4th in the voting in those same two seasons.
DeRozan will get buckets late in games
Because of his prowess late in games, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see DeRozan on the court over Christian Braun when the game is tight. Despite playing on a perennial lottery team, the Sacramento Kings, DeRozan was still 18th in points created per game in the clutch during the 2025-26 season for players who had a minimum of 60 clutch minutes. Jokic led the way, of course, and he was followed by Murray in third. Murray was also the runner-up for Clutch Player of the Year last year.
But for pure scoring, DeRozan was second in 2022-23 with 159 clutch points, and in 2023-24, he finished second again with 182 clutch points. The drop-off in performance was more Kings-related than DeRozan-related. The fact that he was still creating clutch points at a high level at 37-years-old for a bad offense is impressive.
The Nuggets' clutch woes need to be resolved this year
The Nuggets had always been a formidable team in the clutch in the past few seasons, but something broke last year despite the late-game production from Jokic and Murray. The Nuggets still finished the year with a 23-19 clutch record, but there were points later in the season when it seemed like the Nuggets couldn't buy a win when the game was close.
Now, with an elite third clutch option, the Nuggets should be much better off than last year. The biggest hurdle will be the fit between the trio, but with Jokic's and DeRozan's basketball IQ, they should get it figured out.
And it's not like DeRozan has to score. He's a very underrated passer, and he can easily kick it out to Murray, Cameron Johnson, or Aaron Gordon for the open three-point shot as opposing defenses collapse around him or Jokic.
Adding DeRozan to the clutch time unit should make the Nuggets the best clutch team in the league in 2026-27 as long as it all comes together.
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