The Denver Nuggets have a lack of depth this offseason, and we already know that at point guard, Jamal Murray is going to have a whole lot more on his plate. But what about Nikola Jokic, whose plate has been full every year? Well, thanks to the overall lack of depth, Jokic will have to have his finest season ever, after having his finest season ever last year. If he doesn't, the Nuggets' ceiling may not be any better than last year.
The Nuggets added veterans to the roster last offseason. Veterans like Tim Hardaway Jr., who ended up third in the voting for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award. They traded for veteran center Jonas Valanciunas to finally be the answer for the non-Jokic minutes. That didn't happen. They even brought back Bruce Brown, who was integral to the Nuggets' 2022-23 NBA Championship rotation.
None of those three are back with the Nuggets now, with the team facing the NBA's second apron tax penalty from a payroll that costs too much, forcing the Nuggets' hand, and it's going to put Jokic into an even tougher spot for 2026-27.
Jokic will need his best season for the Nuggets to improve
The Nuggets won 54 games in 2025-26 despite losing their starters for a total of 136 regular-season games. Jokic himself even missed a career-high 17 games after having to miss 16 games in a row after receiving an inadvertent kick to the knee from Spencer Jones in late December.
How did Jokic fare in the adversity? With the best statistical season he's had. He led the league in assists and rebounds, the first time anyone's done that in the same season. And he averaged 27.7 points, the second-highest total of his career. 10.7 assists were a career high, and 12.9 rebounds were the second-best of his career.
Jokic is going to have to play even better in 2026-27. Instead of the vets, the Nuggets got rookies to fill the roster this offseason. Talented, sure, but rookies with unproven potential nonetheless. Alpha Diallo may be the reigning Euroleague Defensive Player of the Year, but he's never played in the NBA. Trevon Brazile, the 35th pick in the 2026 NBA draft by the Nuggets, is wildly athletic, but he's raw.
Murray has a backup in Tyus Jones, who didn't play last year after joining the Nuggets from the buyout market despite a roster spot. The only positive addition may be Marvin Bagley III over Valanciunas, because he's more athletic and can play multiple positions. And I didn't even scratch the surface for guys like Zeke Nnaji and DaRon Holmes II who didn't crack the rotation.
The silver lining is that if anyone can get the most out of this bunch, it'll be Jokic. Hardaway had a resurgent year and got a raise when he joined the Miami Heat. That's what Jokic does. But he'll have to be at his best this year if the Nuggets are going to improve on the 54 wins, because the Nuggets are bereft of depth this season.
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