Denver lost two key wings, added a scoring veteran and still has health questions to sort out before opening night.
The Denver Nuggets closed last season on a 12-game winning streak and finished third in the West, but it all came apart in six games against Minnesota in the first round.
The team that walks into media day on Monday looks different in some important spots.
Head coach David Adelman has a strong core to work with, but there are three questions the Nuggets need to answer before they open the season at Oklahoma City on Oct. 22.
Who Replaces Peyton Watson and Bruce Brown?
Denver lost two of its most useful wings this offseason.
Forward Peyton Watson went to Cleveland in a multi-team sign-and-trade after averaging 14.6 points in 54 games, and the Nuggets got back Cleveland's unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-rounder.
Guard Bruce Brown, who played all 82 games last season, then signed a camp deal with the Knicks.
That leaves a hole in the rotation, and there are a few ways to replace Brown without a clear answer yet.
Forward Cam Whitmore joined on a two-way deal after Cleveland waived him, but a blood clot in his right shoulder ended his last season early, and a two-way player can only be active for 50 regular-season games.
It is fair to wonder whether Whitmore can find minutes right away.
Can DeMar DeRozan Fit Next to Nikola Jokic?
Forward DeMar DeRozan is the biggest name the Nuggets added.
He signed a one-year minimum deal after averaging 18.4 points in 77 games for Sacramento, and center Nikola Jokic, forward Aaron Gordon and guard Jamal Murray all called him before he agreed to come to Denver.
DeRozan is 37, but he can still score, and he gives the second unit a player who can create his own shot.
The question is how he fits next to Jokic and Murray, who already run so much of the offense.
Denver is also over the second apron, so the team could not do much more than this in free agency, which makes getting DeRozan's role right in camp even more important.
Can the Starters Stay Healthy?
Jokic played just 65 games last season, while Gordon played 36 because of right hamstring problems.
Guard Christian Braun played 44 games after tearing ligaments in his left ankle in November.
Murray was the one steady piece, playing 75 games and averaging 25.4 points on his way to an All-Star spot.
Braun has heard the doubts about this team, and he does not seem too worried about them.
"It's probably good for the team to get written off. But like I said, I wouldn't write a (Nuggets) team off that won that many games and has been there, has won a championship, has done all those things. So we're excited," Braun told The Denver Post in August.
He is right that this group has done it before.
Jokic has said he wants to play every game, and if the starting five stays on the floor, Denver can win a lot of games.
The Nuggets may well miss Watson more than they think, and that could be true, but the bigger story will be health.
The preseason opens Oct. 4 against Utah in Boulder, and the first thing to watch is how many minutes Gordon and Braun can handle.
