The Denver Nuggets had instilled a vote of confidence in head coach David Adelman at the end of the season, and brought the rookie coach back after a successful 54-28 and third-place finish in the Western Conference. However, the Nuggets may not be as confident in Adelman as they may have let on at the end of the season.
Lost in the shuffle of the flurry of news dropped about Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets was the little blurb from Marc Stein and Jake Fischer in The Stein Line (subscription required) that said the Nuggets are looking to add depth to the coaching staff this offseason, too.
"The Nuggets have indeed publicly backed David Adelman to return for his second full season as their coach in 2026-27, but The Stein Line has learned that Denver is actively seeking to install a former NBA head coach as a top assistant on Adelman's staff to provide an injection of experience."
That's not exactly the most confidence-instilling step for the Nuggets in Adelman after there were already questions surrounding some of his decisions against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the early, first-round playoff exit. His job is safe, for now, but what's the end goal here?
The Nuggets need someone who can inspire leadership and change
Adelman was never the vocal leader that lit a fire under the Nuggets like former head coach Michael Malone. Malone would never hold back. He'd yell when needed, and he never would have let someone like Jaden McDaniels get away with saying what he said about the Nuggets' defense without some sort of fiery retort.
Adelman also refused to change up the Nuggets' rotation until it was too late, and even then, he reached into a bag of tricks that couldn't fix anything against the Timberwolves. Adelman also didn't make much of an attempt to change the way the Nuggets attacked the Timberwolves or stop the Timberwolves, only putting in Tyus Jones for more ball-control off the bench in Games 6 and 7. The Timberwolves kept attacking the paint no matter who they threw at the Nuggets, and Adelman didn't adjust the defense enough.
Now, this isn't unusual at all, and for years, former Nuggets head coach George Karl had former Nuggets head coach Doug Moe as a top assistant. But this news almost feels like they're trying to get someone to tutor Adelman a little bit, or put some pressure on him to make some changes and put him on the hot seat.
It also feels like the Nuggets are looking for someone to help make the necessary changes to get better next year, because Adelman may need more help putting the new pieces of the puzzle the Nuggets acquire this offseason together. At the end of the day, it feels like a backup plan in case of a slow start to the season next year at worst, and a necessary fix to help install changes.
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