Adelman used media day to remind everyone what his group did before the playoffs went wrong.
Most of the talk around the Denver Nuggets this summer has been about how last season ended, so head coach David Adelman used his time at media day on Monday to point back to everything that came before it.
The Nuggets finished 54-28 and third in the Western Conference, but they were knocked out in the first round by the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in six games, and that series has shaped how a lot of people see this team.
Adelman Points to the Regular Season
Denver did not have its full group in that series, as forward Peyton Watson missed it with a hamstring injury and forward Aaron Gordon was slowed by calf tightness.
Adelman knows the playoff loss is what people remember, and he said there are going to be narratives, but "the men in that room that are back won 54 and won the most road games in the history of the franchise, and had the best offense in the NBA," as he said in a clip from media day.
He then told reporters he knew they wanted to ignore that, but that it was what the players did.
The numbers back him up, as Denver went 26-15 on the road and led the league with 122.1 points per game and a 122.6 offensive rating.
Adelman did not dodge the ending either.
He called the playoffs a bad 10 days that cost the team its season, and he also said he put too much pressure on guard Jamal Murray last year.
Why He Is Right to Stand Up for This Group
Adelman took over for Michael Malone in April 2025 and had the interim tag removed that May, so last season was his first full year in charge.
Winning 54 games in that spot is not easy, and it makes sense that he would not let one bad series erase it.
The Nuggets also decided to stay put with their core instead of making a big change, which means Adelman is heading into the season with mostly the same players.
If he wants them to believe in themselves, he has to show that he believes in them first, and that is exactly what he did on Monday.
Still, the defense will have to be better, because Denver gave up 116.9 points per game last season, which ranked 21st in the league.
The offense was never the problem, and the group still has one of the best starting fives in the league when everyone is healthy.
What Comes Next for Denver
There are some new faces around the core, with forward DeMar DeRozan joining on a one-year deal and Watson traded to Cleveland.
Center Nikola Jokić also promised to sign a new deal next summer, which takes one big question off the table before the season starts.
Denver opens the preseason against the Utah Jazz on Sunday at the CU Events Center in Boulder, and the regular season starts on Oct. 22 in Oklahoma City.
A strong start would go a long way toward changing the story around this team, and a healthy Murray and Gordon would make that a lot easier.
Adelman believes in this group, and it is now on the players to prove him right when the games start to count again.
