Denver has revamped their roster this summer, but apparently not everyone is sold on the moves. On the most recent episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN both took the Nuggets to finish with under 53.5 wins in the 2025-26 regular season.
Windy explained that he’s not sure swapping Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson is the home run that everyone seems to think it is. He also expressed concern about Jamal Murray’s ability to stay healthy and how the team is thin behind him.
There was also some discussion about the durability of Johnson, who has topped out at 66 games played in a season and has surpassed 60 games played just once in his six-year career. Bontemps also said he doesn’t think that the team has gotten that much better in the aggregate and believes they’ll struggle to reach 54 wins in a loaded Western Conference.
Hoop Collective not giving depth enough credit
The problem with the analysis here is that Tim and Windy aren’t factoring in just how bad the Nuggets’ bench and depth have been the last couple of seasons. They’ve been right around this number in recent years, playing completely on the backs of the starters.
Now, the Nuggets can go 10-12 deep, comfortably on any given night. They can manage guys throughout games and throughout the season, ensuring that everyone is fresh for the biggest moments.
It’s not that the Nuggets brought in star players. In a vacuum, adding Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr. is a nice flurry of moves, but not earth-shattering. The difference is that the guys who went out were Russell Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan, and Dario Saric.
Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther, who were the 7th and 8th men last season, are now more like the 10th and 11th. The pressure is off, and everyone should be maximized in their roles. No more losing the margins. No more getting crushed in the non-Jokic minutes. No more punting on games because one or two guys have to sit out.
The Nuggets are going from one of the worst bench units in the league to what might be one of the best. Add that to an elite starting lineup that got even better, and there’s no reason this team shouldn’t cruise to 55 wins and push for 60 even in a stacked conference.