It's no secret. The Denver Nuggets' defense was bad last season. But the Nuggets didn't sign DeMar DeRozan to be a defensive stopper. They signed him to take on the scoring load that the Nuggets bench didn't have. But the Nuggets did sign a potential defensive ace and stopper in Alpha Diallo, and he's got the potential to be the Nuggets' most important signing of the offseason, despite DeRozan's chances at filling a large hole left behind by Tim Hardaway Jr. and Peyton Watson.
The Nuggets' defense was porous for most of last year, and that was exacerbated in the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves by the absences of Aaron Gordon and Watson, who were out with injuries. But Diallo could be the remedy the Nuggets need in 2026-27, and the Nuggets could see a heavy dose of his defensive presence when they need a stop.
The Nuggets don't have many good defenders. Diallo should play
The Nuggets' defense has been going backward over the last three years. They've fallen from a defensive ranking of 8th in 2023-24 to 21st in 2025-26. And as Sam Vecenie points out on the newest edition of the Game Theory Podcast, the Nuggets don't have much in the way of defensive depth entering this season.
"They have three guys that I think are like anything resembling average to slightly plus defenders. And it's just gonna be really tricky for them," Vecenie said of Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Spencer Jones.
But he left out Diallo. The 6-foot-7 wing won the 2025-26 EuroLeague Best Defender, and he should do a good job of filling the defensive void left behind by Watson. Sure, he wasn't playing against NBA-level talent, but the defensive ability should translate better into the NBA than other aspects of the game.
So I'd argue that Diallo is a plus defender. Last season, he led all EuroLeague forwards in points allowed per possession at 0.884, and he was in the top-20 in defending against the pick-and-roll. And this past January, Diallo was voted as the best defender in the EuroLeague by the EuroLeague General Managers.
Plus, Diallo can guard whoever the other team's best player on the court is, 1 through 4. He's an excellent on-ball defender, and he should be getting plenty of minutes and chances to show that he's one of the top defenders on the Nuggets.
Is Diallo a sure thing? No, not at all. But he's certainly going to be one of the top defensive choices for the Nuggets even if he faces an adjustment to the faster, more athletic NBA game. And given the Nuggets' woes on defense last year, he's probably the Nuggets ' most important offseason addition.
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