The Denver Nuggets had several key priorities to resolve coming into this offseason. One of them was to add athleticism to the roster. By adding free agent Marvin Bagley III to back up Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets will not only have put some resolve on that issue, but it could also allow the Nuggets to have a new look on the court as well.
Spotrac's Keith Smith dropped a little note about what one Nuggets front office executive said about Bagley, and aside from the athleticism upgrade over former Jokic backup Jonas Valanciunas, he hinted that the Nuggets could experiment with Bagley and Jokic on the court together.
"We think it's a more athletic presence behind Nikola (Jokic), and that's a good thing. And they can probably play together too, if we need them to," said the Nuggets front office executive.
The Nuggets should absolutely play Bagley alongside Joker this season. Bagley offers a whole different game than what Valanciunas offered, and he's tailor-made to play alongside Jokic.
Bagley can stretch the floor and open up more lanes for Jokic
We all know the more spacing the Nuggets have, the more Jokic finds the open player for an open shot or a backdoor cut. Bagley helps the spacing just like Aaron Gordon does with his three-point shot that has been developing over the past couple of years. Bagley shot an astounding 48.5% on 1.5 attempts during his 22 games with the Dallas Mavericks to finish out 2025-26. That number is not likely to be replicated, but he should have his fair share of open looks if he's sharing the court with Jokic.
Bagley also has a fantastic close-range game, and he shot 64.1% from two-point range last season. He finishes around the rim well, and for a big man, he can get downhill with his athleticism for easy buckets thanks to the spacing Jokic will provide.
Bagley can replace Gordon as well
And with the 6-foot-10 Bagley being more athletic than Valanciunas, he can easily play the four to back up Gordon as well. This would give the Nuggets the added boost of being able to keep Gordon's minutes down so they try to limit the wear and tear on him this season. Gordon's health is always a concern, and any benefit to keeping Gordon on the court is a big boon for the Nuggets.
Not to mention Bagley has an improving defensive game that would fit right in alongside Jokic when Gordon hits the bench. Bagley isn't Gordon, but he's much quicker and more mobile than Valanciunas was, and he'll be a big improvement over Val in the paint, especially at rim protection.
All in all, Bagley offers the Nuggets much more flexibility than they had with Valanciunas, and that's a big boost for the Nuggets next year.
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