With the preseason now squarely in the rearview mirror, and the opening game of the 2026-27 Denver Nuggets season against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 22nd rapidly approaching, it's time to take a step back and assess the winners and the losers as training camp ends. There were plenty more highlights than lowlights during the five-game tune-up for the regular season, but I think this list sums up the biggest themes on either side of the equation.
The Losers
4. DaRon Holmes II
The expectations weren't exactly high for the 22nd pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, but DaRon Holmes II never really even got a chance to crack the rotation in the preseason. He's clearly been leapfrogged on the depth chart by all of the Nuggets' new front-court additions, and he saw the second-fewest minutes of any Nugget on a standard or two-way contract. Holmes will likely be relegated to garbage time and emergency situations only for the 2026-27 season.
3. Zeke Nnaji
It's hard to believe, but Zeke Nnaji has been a Nugget for seven years now, just a few months longer than Mr. Nugget, Aaron Gordon. But in true Nnaji fashion, he fumbled the one chance he had in the preseason to play with the second unit, and he's going to be locked into the last space on the bench behind everyone on the depth chart for the remainder of the season unless the injury bug rears its ugly head again as the season progresses.
2. Peyton Watson trade critics
Let the haters hate. The Nuggets traded away Peyton Watson and didn't spend enough around Nikola Jokic, waaahhh, wahhh. Watson's only put up 7.7 points with the Cleveland Cavaliers in their preseason, and he's shooting a torrid 16.7% from three. LOL.
The moves around the margins the Nuggets made, plus acquiring a tradeable first-round pick while not locking the Nuggets into a contract that could have backfired big time, seem to be working out already.
1. The critics of the Nuggets' offseason additions
There were plenty of people who were bagging on the Nuggets for having a poor offseason. But you know what? The front office did a good job of filling in the puzzle pieces with the limited budget space available. There's more depth (at least it looks that way for now) than there was last season, and the front office's moves on the margins have been better than expected. In fact, a couple of them have made their way to the winners list.
The winners
5. The fans in attendance for the Nuggets first game in Boulder
They got to witness, in person, one of the best passes in NBA history, and the pass that even Nikola Jokic put at the top of his list. The no-look, behind-the-back crosscourt on a dime to Cameron Johnson.
4. Aaron Gordon
Gordon's had a pep in his step, and he's looked incredible in the four games he played. In only 14.9 minutes per game, Gordon averaged 14.8 points to lead all Nuggets in scoring in the preseason. He's dunking, he's making threes at a 53.8% clip, and he looks ready to put the past two injury-riddled seasons behind him.
3. Trevon Brazile
Most people probably expected the 35th pick of the 2026 NBA Draft to be just another paperweight at the end of the bench, like what happens with most Nuggets rookies. But Trevon Brazile has been amazing in all five preseason games, and he's made such an impact that he should get a rotation spot to open the season. He's going to be an incredible bargain for the Nuggets moving forward, who locked him in with a four-year, $9.3 million deal early in the offseason.
2. Alpha Diallo
Alpha Diallo is another one of the moves on the margin that's made an immediate and big impact like Brazile. Diallo's defense has been fun to watch, and he's going to wreak havoc on opponents in the backcourt and on the perimeter in 2026-27. Diallo led all Nuggets with 8 steals in the preseason, and he should see a hefty dose of minutes with the second unit. Not bad for a 29-year-old rookie on a $1.36 million contract.
1. The bench
The depth of the Nuggets' bench was a concern for everyone coming into the preseason. But bringing in DeMar DeRozan on a veteran's minimum contract gave the bench an elite scoring punch. And upgrading the athleticism while giving the non-Jokic minutes a dynamic backup center in Marvin Bagley III was also great.
In fact, the bench has been such a surprise in its performance that head coach David Adelman has his hands full with narrowing down the rotation. Sure, it's only five games, but the depth looks much deeper than it did last season. If the non-Jokic minutes can weather the storm when Jokic takes a breather, the Nuggets will go much deeper in the playoffs than critics have been predicting.
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