In the days leading up to Nuggets training camp, The Denver Post will break down each position group on the 2026-27 roster. Here’s a look at the team’s backcourt, which has been scrutinized this offseason for its lack of depth.
Point guard
ٲٱ:Jamal Murray
ճ-ٰԲ:KJ Simpson (two-way)
Straining to bring the ball up the court has been a common theme in this team’s lowest moments of the last few years. Against physically imposing playoff defenses, the Nuggets have struggled to get into their sets and establish the methodical, read-and-react game they prefer to play. Murray is a masterfully skilled ball-handler who can dance with the best of them, not to mention a high-IQ passer — but beating a 90-foot press up the floor with pure quickness isn’t his forte. When that responsibility rests entirely on his shoulders, he tends to get worn down over the course of a series, becoming less effective at what he does best in the halfcourt. David Adelman’s offense often functions best when Murray can start off the ball and use a pin-down to catch in the flow of action around him.
That’s all to say that Denver’s front office seems to be entrusting Tyus Jones with a pretty vital role. Acquired from the NBA’s island of misfit toys (the buyout market) in March, Jones spent two months out of the rotation. Then he emerged with two quietly impactful performances in Games 5 and 6 of Denver’s ill-fated playoff series against Minnesota, providing a glimpse of why he’s stuck around in the league into his 30s. The Nuggets clearly liked what they saw from the all-time leader in assist-to-turnover ratio. Can he reliably initiate their bench offense across a much larger sample size now?
If Adelman needs additional help, he has a few cheat codes to help survive the regular season at least. It helps when your starting power forward and starting center can bring the ball up as confidently as a point guard. Small forward DeMar DeRozan could also factor into the by-committee approach.
Murray will be trying to build on the best regular season of his career, which earned him All-Star and All-NBA honors after he averaged 25 points and seven assists on 43.5% from beyond the arc. Defensively, he’ll be hunted by opposing stars, as will Jones when he’s on the court. But Murray compensates by remaining one of the most versatile offensive guards in the league, capable of functioning as the playmaker or screener in the pick-and-roll. His surge in 3-point volume last season was an important variable in taking the next step, though his efficiency plummeted in the playoffs. Now that he has proven his bona fides as an 82-game player, every season from now on will be evaluated based on playoff performance. Can Murray turn back the clock to 2023 next spring?
Shooting guard
ճ-ٰԲ:Lonnie Walker IV (Exhibit 9)
On paper, this is easily the most tenuous position group on Denver’s roster. There’s a starter trying to shake off his worst season, recover from multiple injuries and beat the widespread allegations that he was overpaid on his new contract. There’s a backup who was pushed out of the rotation last year for Tim Hardaway Jr., leaving him still in pursuit of a foothold in the NBA three seasons into his career. And there’s a third-stringer who — well, there is no third-string yet. The 27-year-old Walker signed a training camp invite from the Nuggets last month, but he’ll be reporting to Denver with no guarantee of a roster spot. If he makes the team, he’ll provide one more low-end option as a driver and shot creator, but it’s been 17 months since he last checked into an NBA game.
The Nuggets have continued to peruse the free agency market for guards this month, just in case another enticing candidate emerges for their vacant 15th spot. Most recently, they’ve registered interest in Cam Whitmore, according to a report by Marc Stein. Drafted 20th overall in 2023, Whitmore has bounced around quite a bit this year and would be a gamble on scoring talent. He was ironically part of the Peyton Watson sign-and-trade, which sent him from Washington to Cleveland for financial reasons. The Cavs subsequently waived him.
Braun is entering his third year as Denver’s lead defensive guard, this time with a $21.6 million price tag instead of $4.9 million. He won’t have much help from Murray, Jones or Strawther when it comes to 1-on-1 perimeter containment — most of that will be coming from the forward group, Denver hopes. So Braun’s top priority should be to regain the athleticism and stamina that characterized his game before last season. A deceptively severe ankle injury stripped him of his greatest strengths in late 2025. If the Nuggets are going to escape the NBA’s bottom 10 in defensive rating, where they’ve resided for the last two years, it’ll have to start with Braun taking a significant leap.
He’ll also start the season as a floor-spacing liability on offense: Teams will be emboldened to leave him open more than ever after watching his 3-point clip drop from 39.7% to 30.1%. Braun made his money by playing off Jokic marvelously as a cutter and transition threat. But he needs his corner 3s to fall as well, especially without Hardaway or Peyton Watson around to occupy those spots. Between them, Denver is losing 305 made 3s at a 40.8% clip.
Strawther might be able to help. The rub has always been that he’s not consistent enough on offense to offset his defensive flaws. He’s 34.6% from deep in his career so far. If ever there was a time for the lanky 24-year-old to prove he’s developed into a consistent scorer, it’s now. This will be the last season of his rookie scale contract, and there’s been no indication so far that he’ll have an extension with Denver before the Oct. 19 deadline. Perhaps the looming specter of restricted free agency can spark Strawther as much as it did Watson.
Aside from his jump shot, Strawther is a particularly important piece on this roster because his floater game might be one of the Nuggets’ best sources of paint penetration off the dribble. They’re stacked with shot creators who lean on step-back 3s (Murray) or the midrange (DeRozan). When Strawther has the ball, his aim will be to get downhill.
