Mile High City has seen significant roster turnover this summer, despite the Denver Nuggets' largely underwhelming offseason.

The Nuggets fell to the Utah Jazz, 109-97, in their preseason opener on Sunday, and head coach David Adelman fielded questions about his rotations afterward. 

In summary, Denver lost three key bench pieces- Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas, and Bruce Brown over the last few months, replacing them with several new faces, via the draft and free agency. 

The Nuggets' biggest free-agent acquisition, veteran DeMar DeRozan, is set to take on a new role in his 18th season.

A perennial career starter, DeRozan will be the first off the bench for the Nuggets, per Adelman, with the extent of his usage yet to be determined. 

"With DeMar, it's a work in progress for me," Adelman said. "I used to play [Hardaway Jr.] for a really long stretch when we were fully healthy... I have to find out what DeMar's [comfort level] is with that."

DeRozan scored five points (2-for-5 FG) in 10 minutes in his preseason debut on Sunday. He followed it up with seven points (2-for-5 FG) in 11 minutes in his second outing as the Nuggets beat the Jazz 117-106 in a rematch on Tuesday.

Of course, it's too early to draw any conclusions. But now, at 37, DeRozan may not be able to play the same extended minutes Hardaway Jr. once did; still, 26.6 minutes per game is certainly attainable. He averaged 31.2 minutes across 77 games for the Sacramento Kings last year.

Adelman added that he will experiment with who comes out for DeRozan first during the preseason.

Entering his second full season at the helm, Adelman praised the connection developing between journeyman big Marvin Bagley III and veteran point guard Tyus Jones in the second unit. 

The Nuggets re-signed Jones to a one-year, $2.4 million deal to remain the primary backup behind Jamal Murray. Bagley III will deputize for Jokic after Jonas Valanciunas was waived to clear cap space. He signed a one-year, veteran minimum contract this offseason.

"They are really good together because Marvin can do both; he can roll, he can pick and pop, and he actually shoots the three a lot better than people realize," Adelman said. 

Bagley III is showing very promising signs early in preseason. He scored five points and grabbed seven rebounds in the Nuggets' opener. He added 10 points (4-for-5 FG), five rebounds, one steal, and one block in game two. 

Jones is averaging six assists across the first two games. He also scored eight points (3-for-6 FG) in the curtain-raiser. 

The Nuggets also lost key contributor Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a multi-team sign-and-trade deal this offseason. 

Remove four familiar pieces from an equation, and you will find yourself in a tough spot when you try to solve it. Therefore, Denver's success in a stacked Western Conference this year will require all hands on deck.

The Nuggets went 54-28 last regular season, locked up the No. 3 seed, then got dumped out of the playoffs in the first round by the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (4-2). 

All in all, that is an underachievement given Nikola Jokic's generational greatness. 'The Joker' expects more and deserves better.

After failing to secure any marquee free agents, the Nuggets pivoted to the 'by committee' route, also adding Lonnie Walker IV, Alpha Diallo, and promising rookie Trevon Brazile with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2026 Draft. 

Ryan Nembhard and Cam Whitmore occupy two of the three two-way slots. Spencer Jones returned on a two-year, $12 million contract after Denver matched Oklahoma City Thunder's offer sheet.

Adelman has quite the jigsaw in front of him. But the Nuggets trust him to figure it out. And Jokic needs him to.