It may only be preseason, but the Denver Nuggets already look like a legitimate contender with a new-look second unit that's achieved the essential goal of fielding proven NBA players. After two years of over-reliance on the starting lineup, Denver has finally built a bench worth believing in.
With a starting five that's already made a habit out of producing 50-win seasons, the Nuggets can truly operate with the mentality of a championship hopeful after shoring up the second unit.
Denver is coming off of a season in which it went 50-32 and went to Game 7 during the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs with the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder. It marked a third consecutive season during which the Nuggets have won at least 50 games.
Unfortunately, back-to-back second-round exits have soured critics on Denver's viability as a contender—no matter how close to that status it may be.
The Nuggets won a title as recently as 2023, but have lost in Game 7 of a second-round series in consecutive seasons. The harsh reality is that their title-winning core has inspired enough faith for them to be a factor, but their lack of depth has cost them against teams with an abundance of it.
By simply watching David Adelman shuffle through players during the 2025 NBA preseason, however, it's become clear that the Nuggets have resolved their greatest issue.
Nuggets' preseason rotations prove they finally have NBA-caliber depth
In 2024-25, three Denver reserves received at least 15.0 minutes of playing time per game: Russell Westbrook, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther. Each delivered in their own way, but the postseason ultimately revealed a flaw in the design.
Strawther and Watson played a combined 24.0 minutes per game during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, thus inevitably resulting in four different Nuggets averaging upward of 37.3 minutes per contest.
By comparison, only two Thunder players averaged more than 35.0 minutes per game during their second-round win over the Nuggets, and only three played more than 27.2. That proved to be an issue the season prior, as well, when only five Denver players averaged more than 20.0 minutes during their second-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
By comparison, Minnesota had seven different players average at least 22.2 minutes per game—an invaluable form of depth that can go a long way toward fighting fatigue during a seven-game series.
Thankfully, Denver looks like it's resolved this issue by bringing in established talents such as Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas. Brown previously won a title with the Nuggets in 2023, while Hardaway and Valanciunas have played 12 and 13 NBA seasons respectively.
In 2024-25, Hardaway averaged 11.0 points per game and Valanciunas tallied 10.4 points in just 18.8 minutes per contest—higher scoring averages than every returning Nugget but the starters.
The Nuggets' veteran trio will pair with returning reserves such as Strawther and Watson, as well as up-and-comers DaRon Holmes and Jalen Pickett. Together, they'll aim to help Denver's second unit improve upon ranking No. 27 in points per game and No. 22 in net rating in 2024-25.
The preseason can only reveal so much, but the Nuggets have made significant progress by simply assembling a second unit with known commodities who can play NBA-caliber minutes.