The Denver Nuggets will enter the 2026-27 season with championship expectations once again as they still have perennial MVP candidate Nikola Jokic on the roster.

The team is coming off a disappointing season where they lost in six games to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and they have failed to get out of the second round in three straight seasons after winning the championship in 2023.

Big changes were teased during the offseason, and while the bench has been retooled, the starting lineup, which was one of the best in the league during the regular season, remains the same.

How does the depth chart look coming into this season?

PG: Jamal Murray

SG: Christian Braun

SF Cameron Johnson

PF: Aaron Gordon

C: Nikola Jokic

No surprises here. This was the starting lineup when healthy last season, playing 342 minutes together, and finishing with a +12.9 net rating.

Some might be calling for DeMar DeRozan to enter the starting lineup, either in place of Braun or Johnson, but that’s unlikely to happen. Braun has started all but two games in the last two seasons and he was paid last offseason to be a starter. Johnson started all 54 games he played last year, his first season in Denver.

Unless someone underperforms and Denver feels the need to shake things up, this will be the starting lineup all the way through the playoffs.

PG: Tyus Jones

SG: Alpha Diallo, Lonnie Walker

SF: Spencer Jones, Julian Strawther, Cam Whitmore

PF: DeMar DeRozan, DaRon Holmes II, Zeke Nnaji, Trevon Brazile

C: Marvin Bagley II

DeRozan is a versatile player who could end up playing minutes at the two, three, or four spot, but he mainly played at the four last season, so he’s listed as a power forward here. He will be expected to lead the bench unit in scoring.

Whitmore and Walker are on two-way or camp deals, but maybe they impress enough to find a spot in the rotation.

The guard depth is very weak as the will be relying on Diallo, a standout defender in the EuroLeague, but someone with no NBA experience. Jones is a proven backup guard in the league, but played limited minutes with Denver last season after being signed in March once he was waived by the Dallas Mavericks.

Jones and Strawther will be looked upon to have breakout seasons with Peyton Watson and Tim Hardaway Jr. moving on. Both players are versatile and can contribute in a variety of ways.

Bagley is a strong signing to be the backup center for Denver, and will likely see time at the four spot next to Jokic in certain lineups.