Denver’s preseason twist features Jokic at power forward paired with Jonas Valanciunas in a two‑big look. The early sample was rocky—five possessions, four points, 80 offensive rating—but Adelman stresses it’s a Band‑Aid moment to test spacing and timing. The experiment leans on high‑low action, with Watson, Braun and Strawther providing length and drive to mix with the bigs.

Defensively, Adelman explores a zone with both centers at the bottom, aiming to angle rotations and protect against interior mismatches. The plan mirrors Houston’s Sengun–Adams template but remains a work in progress as Denver dials in how to space and execute with this unconventional frontline.

RotoWire ranks active ringless stars by win shares, led by Chris Paul (215.13) and James Harden (174.70) with the Los Angeles Clippers, both chasing a first title. Jimmy Butler, Rudy Gobert, DeMar DeRozan, Mike Conley, Paul George, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jonas Valanciunas and Nikola Vucevic also headline the list, offering a mix of playmaking, scoring and defensive impact for fantasy managers.

Fantasy angles hinge on role clarity and health as Paul and Harden pursue a title, Gobert anchors defense, and DeRozan provides steady volume on a crowded landscape. Clippers sit around +1900; other top bets include Oklahoma City, Cleveland, Denver, New York and Houston, creating late-season buy/sell opportunities across guards, wings and bigs.

Denver reshapes its roster to maximize Jokic’s prime, shipping Porter Jr. to Brooklyn for Cam Johnson and adding Valanciunas, Brown, and Hardaway Jr. to deepen the rotation behind the MVP. Gordon signals a renewed defensive emphasis as the team leans on depth to ride out regular-season grind and keep Jokic fresh for postseason battles.

The newfound depth should ease Gordon’s burden and reduce heavy minutes on Jokic, while giving the Nuggets more lineups that can attack in multiple ways. With a healthier, more versatile squad, Denver aims to maintain elite performance from its core and navigate playoff rotations without blunting the star power at the center.

In short, Denver bets that a deeper bench and improved length translate to more sustainable success, fewer late-season drops, and a true title-ready run behind Jokic and a now more complete supporting cast.

Denver enters 2025-26 with Jokic, Murray and Gordon as its core while reshaping the roster around shooting and depth. Cameron Johnson slots in on the wing, Porter Jr. exits the wing rotation, and veterans Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas deepen the rotation. Christian Braun projects into a pivotal, no-excuses year as the team aims for another deep playoff run with a more balanced lineup and improved defense.

Pippen argues basketball was a bruising, hand-check era in the 80s and 90s, and Jokic operates in a different, spread-out, positionless game. Jokic’s vision shines as Denver’s offense centers on him alongside Murray, Gordon and Braun, a modern attack built for pace and spacing. Offseason moves—Porter Jr. to Nets for Cameron Johnson; Saric traded for Valanciunas; Brown and Hardaway Jr. re-signed—expand shooting and depth behind Jokic, signaling continued fantasy upside amid roster tweaks.