Nuggets critics are overlooking the obvious reason Denver signed DeMar DeRozan

The Denver Nuggets have received fairly consistent criticism for their decision to make DeMar DeRozan their big signing in an otherwise devastating offseason. Losing Peyton Watson created even more of a need for defense and three-point shooting, and DeRozan isn't exactly known for his success in either area.

What DeRozan continues to do well, however, is create his own offense—a skill that the Nuggets desperately needed to improve their second unit and take pressure off of the stars.

Denver has two of the best shot creators in the NBA in center Nikola Jokic and point guard Jamal Murray. The depth beyond them in that regard is fairly limited, however, as the supporting cast typically consists of off-ball scoring threats who space the floor, work the baseline, score off of handoffs, or operate in transition.

That manifested in Murray being one of just three Nuggets who averaged at least 4.0 drives per game. The others were Jokic and Watson—and the latter is no longer on the team.

There's obviously an argument that the Nuggets needed a shot creator who can defend and shoot at a high level, as well, but said players tend to command massive salaries they couldn't afford. DeRozan was thus the best option available to them on the open market—and a good one, at that.

With DeRozan leading the second unit, the Nuggets should be able to take some of the offensive pressure off of Jokic and Murray—a pressing issue unto itself.

Nuggets desperately needed a high-volume shot creator to support stars

DeRozan may have flaws, but there's no denying his quality in regard to creating offense. In regard to attacking the basket, for instance, DeRozan averaged 8.7 drives per game in 2025-26 and shot 55.7 percent on attempts via drives.

Moreover, DeRozan averaged 18.4 points and 4.1 assists in 31.2 minutes per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field—and he did so on a poorly constructed Sacramento Kings team.

Sacramento was overloaded with slashing perimeter players, including Zach LaVine, Dennis Schröder, and Russell Westbrook. They also had poor spacing with only one player who appeared in at least 45 games shooting better than 33.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Denver may not be an elite spacing team, but it has eight returning players who shot 37.5 percent or better from beyond the arc.

DeMar DeRozan addresses major Nuggets issues despite weaknesses

With that space, DeRozan should continue to be an elite shot creator—and yes, the word "elite" still applies for the 37-year-old. In 2025-26, he ranked in the 96th percentile in both one on one shot making and one on one shot making efficiency, per Basketball Index.

DeRozan also averaged 6.7 points on 45.5 percent shooting on pull-up attempts. No Nuggets player other than Murray at 10.2 on 43.8 percent shooting averaged more than 2.9.

It's also worth noting that no Denver player other than Jokic and Murray averaged more than 2.7 assists per game in 2025-26. DeRozan, meanwhile, checked in at 4.1 on a team with three other players at or above that number. In other words: He should not only take pressure off of the stars as a scorer, but as a playmaker.

DeRozan's shortcomings as a defender and three-point shooter will need to be addressed, but for a Nuggets team that was in desperate need of shot creation, this was a smart low-cost signing.

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