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 wing depth, which the front office attempted to bolster this offseason despite the loss of Peyton Watson.
Small forward
ٲٱ:Cam Johnson
ճ-ٰԲ:Alpha Diallo, Cam Whitmore (two-way), Bryce Hopkins (two-way)
The Nuggets might not be able to replace Watson’s full skill set. What they can do is try to recreate him in the aggregate. They signed DeRozan to restock on the bucket-getting talent Watson flashed last season. They took a flier on Diallo, a EuroLeague journeyman, to replicate Watson’s on-ball perimeter defense. They drafted Trevon Brazile in the second round for rim protection and verticality at a non-center position. For good measure, they scooped up Cam Whitmore on a two-way contract last Friday to supply more youth, athleticism and scoring potential. They’re paying those four players a combined $5.2 million against the salary cap, as opposed to the $20.5 million that Watson will make in his first season as a Cavalier.
DeRozan has been scrutinized plenty over the years for his flaws — shot diet, spacing, defense — but most NBA teams would take him on a veteran minimum contract in a heartbeat. The Nuggets clearly want to lean on him to carry their offense when Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray need rest. The more fascinating and mysterious element of DeRozan’s fit in Denver will be how often he shares the court with Jokic and how he’s used in those minutes. Can the big man develop unlikely chemistry with another aging future Hall of Famer, as he did with Russell Westbrook two seasons ago?
Diallo is a total wild card as a 29-year-old NBA rookie, but if he can carve out a role in David Adelman’s everyday rotation, it would do wonders for Denver’s regular-season depth. The Nuggets will probably want to play fast when he’s on the floor; the biggest question is where he fits in their half-court sets. He shot 35.5% from 3-point range . Assuming he’s treated as a non-shooter upon arrival to the NBA, can he knock down 3s at a similar clip against faster close-outs? Denver desperately needs what he brings defensively, perhaps enough to put up with some offensive growing pains.
Johnson is entering a contract year without an extension in place, for now. The next step for him is to raise his aggressiveness as both a shooter and driver. “We’re telling him to do what he does best, man,” Tim Hardaway Jr. said last season. “Be that Brooklyn Net Cam that you were out there, averaging 17, 18 a game.” He averaged 12 in his first year as a Nugget, shooting 43% from deep on 4.7 attempts per game — a healthy volume that still has room to increase. With a better feel for the unorthodox offense around him, Johnson might be poised to shed his deferential tendencies a bit more this season.
Power forward
ٲٱ:Aaron Gordon
ճ-ٰԲ:Zeke Nnaji, Trevon Brazile
Warding off the Oklahoma City Thunder to keep Jones in restricted free agency was a big win for the Nuggets this summer, its importance amplified by Watson’s eventual sign-and-trade. Jones and DeRozan will be Adelman’s two most trusted bench players (assuming no changes to the starting lineup), making the forward group Denver’s deepest on paper. Jones is pure 3-and-D, an occasionally overzealous ball hawk whose new challenge is to stay physical but tone down the fouling. Ironically, one of his most formative experiences last year was against DeRozan, who tricked him into leaving his feet and committing a costly foul at the end of a close game vs. Sacramento.
Jones will rarely put the ball on the floor at the offensive end, but his 39.6% 3-point clip last season was more than enough to convince Denver to match a two-year, $12 million offer sheet. One of the strangest shooting forms in the NBA isn’t leaving Ball Arena any time soon.
Gordon’s season will be graded largely on his availability. His two-way impact when he’s on the court needs no explaining. The Nuggets were five points per 100 possessions better at both ends when he played last season. But the 82-game slog has taken its toll on Gordon for two consecutive years, leaving him compromised for the most important games on the calendar. If and when he’s out? Minutes could be available to Nnaji, who usually supplies one encouraging stretch of play per season, only to fade back into obscurity. At the very least, he’s a switchable big, which isn’t all that common. Denver will want to capitalize on any chance to boost his trade value. Brazile is entering the fold as well, but it’s not often that a second-round pick is instantly game-ready at the pro level.
The Nuggets could also use DaRon Holmes II as a backup four — they’ve spent some time teaching him the dunker spot over the last year — but the pick-and-pop has been his best weapon early in his career. Given Denver’s surplus of wings who can play the four, Holmes seems more likely to slot into a competition for backup center minutes.
