NBA training camp is the final step for teams to sort out the kinks in the roster and finalize their roster decisions before the regular season finally gets underway and for the Denver Nuggets, that process is revealing some promising steps from some underrated players.

The Nuggets are coming into the 2026-27 season with a lot to prove. Despite finishing as the third-seed in the Western Conference after an injury-riddled season, the Nuggets went home quickly in the playoffs after being upset in the first round by the sixth-seed Minnesota Timberwolves.

Despite the front-line talent that the Nuggets have at their disposal, they found themselves wanting for both depth and grit. Now roughly midway through the training camp process, Denver is finding both of those qualities in some of their newest editions. 

During a recent media session, head coach David Adelman revealed two players who stood out the most to him, the firs being forward/center Marvin Bagley III. 

Bagley III signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Nuggets this offseason to help support the Nuggets in the big man department after the Nuggets waived center Jonas Valanciunas. 

As an eight season veteran of the NBA, Bagley III knows what it's like to fit into a changing scheme within a NBA team and he's already shown that he can bring out the best of the Nuggets around him. 

What stood out most to Adelman about Bagley is the fact that he's been able to push star center Nikola Jokic in practice.

As a three-time MVP and one of the best players of his generation, Jokic likely isn't used to facing some struggle in training sessions and even if complacency wasn't ever an issue for the Serbian star, some healthy competition is always good.

After being humbled against the Timberwolves, having someone like Bagley III to relight a fire underneath Jokic could be the best thing for him.

Another one of the newest Nuggets to make an impression on Adelman has been forward Alpha Diallo, who the Nuggets signed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract after a lengthy overseas career. 

Diallo may not be a young guy in the sense of age at 29-years-old, but he is coming into the NBA as a rookie. Though there don't seem to be any concerns about his adaption to his new league. 

Adelman has already praised the defensive capabilities of Diallo in past interviews, and did so again in his recent media availability. 

"Having that gift to really turn people [on defense], which puts us into our offense later in the clock, which we struggled with last year, it's good," Adelman said (via DNVR Nuggets). 

The Nuggets are an imperfect defensive team, so having someone like Diallo who can be a true factor in that area of the game is a massive plus for Denver, and as Adelman described, having better defense leads to a better facilitation of offense in the tightest moments. 

It may have been a quiet offseason for the Nuggets in the sense that they didn't make any real big name acquisitions, but the smaller additions that they've made already seem to be paying off.