While it’s mostly an afterthought as the Nuggets vie for another championship, they’re going to have a lot of tough decisions to make this offseason around their young role players. One unintended consequence of the litany of injuries to starters is that the front office is going to get an extended look at what some of these guys can do.
Whether they’ve earned the minutes or not, guys like Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, DaRon Holmes, Zeke Nnaji, and maybe even Hunter Tyson are going to get thrown to the Wolves. With Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun all out with injuries, David Adelman has no choice.
They’ve already been starting Peyton Watson, who was on the fringe of the rotation last season, Spencer Jones, who is on a two-way contract, and Tim Hardaway Jr., who was brought in to be a microwave scoring option off the bench. Now, thanks to the Jokic injury, Jonas Valanciunas will surely be added to the starting five, which is rounded out by the only remaining healthy starter, Jamal Murray.
The only player who was actually a lock for minutes off the bench that’s actually still playing off the bench is Bruce Brown. The Nuggets certainly aren’t going to play a six-man rotation, so for the next stretch of games, that means a heavy dose of Strawther, Pickett, Holmes, Nnaji, and Tyson.
Nuggets’ youngsters playing for jobs
Holmes is still a rookie, getting his first real minutes after tearing his achilles in the 2024 summer league. But everyone else is fighting for their future with the team, and maybe in the league. Strawther, Pickett, and Tyson will be entering the final option years on their rookie deals before hitting restricted free agency.
If the Nuggets believe in any of them, they’ll likely try to work out a deal this summer, but that’s highly dependent on their play. Strawther has shown the most promise, Pickett has been a steady backup point guard at times, and Tyson has been a borderline NBA player at best. These coming games may be the best chance for these players to prove they belong in the rotation and can contribute to winning at the NBA level.
Nnaji was the forgotten man. After playing well enough to earn a (repulsive) second contract from the Nuggets, he has fallen way out of the rotation and become a nearly untradeable bit of salary. But the skillset exists to make him intriguing, and he’s still just 24 years old. If he puts together some good minutes, perhaps he could appeal to some other team.
Hopefully, the Nuggets will never go through a stretch of injuries like this again, but for now, it’s an opportunity to get a look at these young players and see if anyone can emerge as a consistent contributor and someone who is essential to the future.