The Denver Nuggets spent a vast majority of the Michael Malone era deprioritizing internal development and instead fixating on the immediate value of the players on the roster. David Adelman is making a change that shows an understanding of how important short-term pains are to long-term gains.
Fresh off of a first-round exit from the playoffs and a depth crisis that was brought on by injuries and the ramifications of Malone's present-day fixation, Adelman is trusting his up-and-comers in 2026-27.
Adelman likely knows that he'll need to get creative to optimize the depth of the rotation. Denver lost Peyton Watson to free agency and made a scarce few roster additions with such limited financial flexibility, with 37-year-old wing DeMar DeRozan being its marquee signing.
Compounded by the manner in which injuries depleted Denver's resources in 2025-26, Adelman appears willing to run out an 11-man rotation—including a number of fairly unproven players.
"I think we're still looking at playing a nine-man rotation, a 10-man rotation, and kind of a fake 11-man rotation. Where if the first half doesn't work out, is there somebody that you say: 'Why don't we change it up and play them in the third quarter a small amount of minutes but just rotate them in?'"
Adelman continues:
"[Trevon Brazile] has obviously been more of a highlight thing, he's played really well. He also has played the most minutes with the best players. But I think Bryce [Hopkins] has shown signs, Cam Whitmore has shown signs. So you can't be scared to throw those guys out there as we're looking for a rotation."
Trevon Brazile, Bryce Hopkins, and Cam Whitmore all have significant question marks, but Adelman's willingness to let them prove themselves within regular season games is a promising sign.
Nuggets are finally trusting up-and-comers to learn by fire
Denver selected Brazile at No. 35 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft. He's already made quite an impact during summer league and preseason action, showcasing the athleticism and versatility to provide invaluable depth at the interior positions.
Standing at 6'10" and 220 pounds with a 7'3.75" wingspan, range on his jumper, defensive versatility, and explosive athleticism, Brazile appears to be in line for an opportunity to work his way up the proverbial ladder by playing actual regular season minutes.
If he begins to tap into his potential, the Nuggets would be adding a pivotal piece of the proverbial puzzle. He projects to be a shot-blocker and passing-lane terror who can create chaos as an off-ball defender, as well as a rim runner and baseline threat who should be able to play off of Nikola Jokic.
If nothing else, Brazile could represent an early opportunity to create some degree of continuity whenever Aaron Gordon isn't on the court.
Nuggets need to build from within due to limited roster resources
Hopkins and Whitmore are bigger question marks, but they're talented and worth a look. Hopkins is a 6'7" forward who shot respectfully from three in college and should have a chance to develop at multiple levels with Denver due to the flexibility of his two-way contract.
Whitmore, meanwhile, is an explosive scoring threat who enters the 2026-27 season with a career NBA average of 21.8 points per 36 minutes.
None of these players are guaranteed to excel, but Adelman looking as far down the proverbial pecking order as he is remains a positive sign. Denver doesn't have the luxury of known commodities who are under the age of 25 and on a clear trajectory to high-level play.
Instead, Denver boasts a top-heavy roster flush with players approaching or over 30, and lacks the financial resources to add meaningful talent.
As such, they must be willing to take chances on players with question marks if they're hoping to build a deep enough team to contend. Coming off of a season during which four of their top six players in minutes per game missed at least 28 outings, that's never been more true.
Denver isn't guaranteed to have enough firepower to contend in 2026-27, but Adelman is at least planting the seeds to ensure the Jokic era won't end without an effort to supplement his talent.
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