The Denver Nuggets are ready for pretty much anything an opponent throws at them. After a busy offseason from the front office — what a nice sentence after the past few years — this team will enter the 2025-26 prepared, on paper at least, to match up with pretty much anyone in the league.
Cam Johnson and Bruce Brown now occupy the wing position, while Christian Braun and Julian Srawther are at shooting guard and Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson are at the four. This new-look Nuggets team is balanced so well, which will allow everyone to play their natural position pretty much full-time. Head coach David Adelman will of course need to find the lineup combinations that work best, and will be forced to adjust based on scenario, but he won't have the unenviable responsibility of figuring out who plays where on the court.
That's a pretty nice freedom to have.
Nuggets have length and versatility in new-look lineup
This Nuggets team is built a little bit like last year's Timberwolves squad; long, versatile defenders like Peyton Watson, Bruce Brown, Cam Johnson, and Aaron Gordon, mixed with high-level shooting surrounding an offensive hub (the biggest difference being, of course, that Denver's offensive hub is its center and Minnesota's was its shooting guard).
If opposing teams run their offense through wing players, the Nuggets can swap in Bruce Brown or Peyton Watson when necessary and let them shadow the opposing star player. If opponents' offensive attacks come from the four, then Aaron Gordon will be tasked with shutting them down. And if a point guard is an opponent's go-to guy, then the (very underrated defender) Christian Braun will be the man for the job. There's not really a type of team that should scare the Nuggets, and that's a rare advantage to have. Of course, the Thunder, Lakers, Wolves, Rockets, etc. have their own coaches who will make their own adjustments. But the Nuggets head into this season with a squad that looks prepared to adapt pretty dang well.
Now, this doesn't mean the roster itself is perfect. This team still doesn't necessarily have an established creator in the second unit or a defensive-minded center (Jonas Valanciunas is a very solid backup, but he's not out there to protect the paint).
But it's tough to point at any part of this roster and determine it as a glaring weak link. And that's exactly where you want to be entering a critical season — which 2025-26 feels like for this team.