If it seems like the last two Denver Nuggets preseason games have felt a lot longer than normal, you're not alone. And there's a good reason for it. Free throws. A lot of them. While drawing fouls isn't necessarily an emphasis for the Nuggets, being physical, even on offense, is. That's getting the Nuggets calls. And if they keep up their torrid pace, they'll potentially lead the league in free-throw attempts by a lot, and probably win a few more games in the process.
That wouldn't bother head coach David Adelman one bit. In the third preseason game of the year, a 133-128 victory over the Chicago Bulls, the Nuggets shot 46 free throws. They were in the bonus early, and their emphasis on physicality plus their size gave the Bulls fits.
"I do think because of our size, we're unique. And if some of these teams want to play smaller against guys like Aaron [Gordon] and [Nikola] Jokic, they're going to get to the foul line," Adelman said in his post-game press conference.
The Nuggets just need to make more of their free throws
The Nuggets shot 46 free throws against the Bulls, and in their 117-106 victory over the Utah Jazz in the second game of the preseason, the Nuggets went to the line 42 times. Unfortunately, they shot just 70% and 71% in each game. Adelman called it "horrendous," but in fairness, the starters hit 77% in both games. Sure, you'd like to see that number be higher, but it's not that bad.
The starters, Jokic, Gordon, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, and Cameron Johnson, combined to make 82.12% of their free throws last year, so it's mostly the bench that needs to work on their shots a bit more.
As for the reserves, Adelman likes what he sees from rookie second-round pick Bryce Hopkins, who seems to thrive on physical play. "I give Bryce a lot of credit. He created contact. He played through contact. If you do that, you get rewarded," Adelman said. Hopkins was 6-for-8 from the line against the Bulls.
The added free throws should add to the wins
Through the first three games of the preseason, the Nuggets are drawing an astonishing 30.7 fouls per game, 9.2 more than they averaged during the regular season in 2025-26. That's got them averaging 36.3 free throws, a 40.8% increase over 2025-26, and that number would have led the league by 8.8 per game last year,
More free throws should equal more points, and more points should equal more wins. It's definitely encouraging that the Nuggets are getting to the charity stripe so often. Not only does it give them a better chance at some cheap points, but the extra fouls drawn keep the opponents' starters potentially on the bench more often, giving the Nuggets a chance to see more time against second-string defenders and an easier time scoring even more points.
Sure, the games are taking longer, but if it's an advantage for the Nuggets, it's worth it.
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