The Denver Nuggets' long pursuit of Peyton Watson ultimately ending in a loss after they settled on a sign-and-trade deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers is bad news for the Nuggets when it comes to the team's overall roster construction and now that the Nuggets can't rely on the talents of Watson, there are a few players who will need to rise to the occasion. 

Watson's primary value came from his versatility and his scoring abilities as a wing and while the Nuggets don't have the most impressive wings in the league, especially coming off the bench, they do have some options looking down the bench.

The Nuggets' top-two options as the three are Cameron Johnson and DeMar DeRozan and those roles likely won't change for either of them throughout the season, but beyond that two of the Nuggets' best options are Julian Strawther and Alpha Diallo. 

Stawther has been a Nuggets for three seasons now and while his role and usage on the team did decline last season despite the amount of opportunities that Strawther would have had with the injuries that their main stars suffered, Strawther does present a lot of value both as a defender and as a scorer, shooting a highly efficient 46.7% from the field last season and 38.7% from three. 

Giving Strawther a bigger role would go a long way both in helping his individual production and helping the Nuggets mend the gap left by Watson's absence. The two filled very similar roles last season, even if Watson did excel more than Strawther did, but when it comes to raw potential, Strawther shouldn't be that far of. 

Considering that the Nuggets picked up Strawther's team option for next season, they clearly do have faith in him and his abilities, so now is the time to show that faith even more by giving him a larger role and for Strawther to show that their faith is worth it by stepping up his production.

Diallo signed a one-year $1.4 million contract with the Nuggets earlier in the offseason and will likely be sitting on the end of the bench for most of the season, but that doesn't mean that the Nuggets won't be using him. 

After going undrafted in 2020, Diallo has had a modest career overseas and some of the best value that he brings to the table is his size and physicality.

Standing at 6'7 and 210 pounds, Diallo bring a serious physical factor to the floor that can be useful for causing mismatches with guards and smaller forwards and having that versatility alone is a great tool for head coach David Adelman to be able to work with.

But Diallo still has to prove that he has what it takes to be a serious producer on the floor, and while his career overseas has been impressive, he needs to translate his talents over to the NBA at a high level if the Nuggets want any chance at being able to stomach the loss of Watson.