For a season that has lacked major injuries, it feels like the Nuggets have seldom been whole. It’s been one little thing after another, with almost everybody on the roster missing a handful of games here or there.
Most recently, the team has been dealing with the absences of Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson, who both suffered injuries at the end of January. But Westbrook was able to return from his calf injury after the All-Star break and it appears that Watson may not be far behind.
On Monday night, Watson sent out an Instagram post implying that he’s back and on Tuesday he was officially upgraded to questionable. It looked like, for the first time in a long time, the Nuggets were finally going to have their entire rotation intact.
Julian Strawther to miss at least 4 weeks
Yet, it was not meant to be as it took mere hours after the good news about Watson to receive some bad news about another key bench player, Julian Strawther. Strawther went down with a knee injury on Sunday in Boston and didn’t return to the game. On Tuesday, it was announced that Strawther will be out for at least four weeks with a left knee sprain.
𝑩𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮: Julian Strawther is out for at least the next 4 weeks with a left knee sprain
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) March 4, 2025
Who needs to step up in his absence? pic.twitter.com/FATZraJQxa
This is just a brutal blow and may well mean that Strawther will miss the rest of the regular season. He has burst onto the scene this season, providing nearly 10 points per game as one of the team’s best - and only - three-point shooting threats. He also made an appearance in the Rising Stars event as part of the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
Timing of injury robs Strawther of chance to earn playoff minutes
The injury comes at the worst possible time because Strawther needs reps badly. He struggles on the defensive side of the ball and still has a lot to prove before he’ll earn Michael Malone’s trust in a playoff series. The shame of it is that now, he likely won’t get that chance and it’s hard to envision Malone thrusting back into the thick of things during a playoff game.
Strawther made a lot of progress this season but he clearly lacks consistency. Denver needs shooting and spacing as bad as any team in the league and Strawther was one of the best bets on the roster to be able to step up and provide it this season.
He has made strides and come along nicely, but it’s hard to imagine he has done enough to secure a spot in the playoff rotation as he tries to come back from a knee injury in April.