Denver gets its first look at a reworked bench on Sunday evening in Boulder, and a few roster spots are still up for grabs.
A season that ended too soon for the Denver Nuggets finally gets a fresh start on Sunday evening, when they host the Utah Jazz at the CU Events Center in Boulder.
Denver went 54-28 last season and finished third in the Western Conference, but the year ended with a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, and the front office spent the summer changing much of the second unit.
How Adelman Builds His Rotation
Head coach David Adelman would like to play a lot of players early in the season, and he laid out his plan after Friday's scrimmage.
"The perfect world is 10 to start, even 10 and a half, which we had a little bit last year," Adelman said after the scrimmage. "But I think to start the season, the goal is gonna be 10."
Adelman added that the rotation usually shrinks to about eight and a half by the end of the year, but he would like to play 10 with such a veteran group.
That will take some work, because four of the five bench players Adelman leaned on last season are gone, with Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas and Bruce Brown all moving on.
Forward Spencer Jones is the only one left, and he tweaked his hamstring on Friday, though the Denver Post reported he is not expected to miss much time.
Guard DeMar DeRozan is expected to come off the bench for the first time since 2010, and forward Marvin Bagley III looks set as the backup center.
Sunday is the first real look at that rotation in a game setting.
Who Grabs the Last Spots
After DeRozan and Bagley, the last two or three rotation spots should go to guards or wings, and forward Julian Strawther, wing Alpha Diallo and guard Tyus Jones are among the top candidates, per the Denver Post.
Diallo has been one of the new faces standing out in camp, and a strong night against Utah would help his case.
There is also a battle for the final roster spot.
Guard Lonnie Walker IV is a training camp invite who cannot sign a two-way deal anymore, so a standard contract is his only path, and Adelman said Walker is in the mix.
Guard Ryan Nembhard and forward Cam Whitmore are on two-way deals, and Denver added Nembhard in a late roster move that cost guard KJ Simpson his spot.
For players like these, every preseason minute is a chance to earn a job.
Utah's Young Talent
Utah brings plenty of young talent, with guard Keyonte George, forward Lauri Markkanen and forward Jaren Jackson Jr. are expected to start, and guard Darryn Peterson, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 draft, has looked good early in camp, according to the Deseret News.
Utah also lost center Walker Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign-and-trade this summer, so its frontcourt looks different.
For Denver, this game is less about the score and more about how the new bench fits around center Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal Murray.
The Nuggets play the Jazz again Tuesday in Utah, and the regular season starts Thursday, Oct. 22, at Oklahoma City.
