The Denver Nuggets were one of the busiest teams during the 2025 offseason. On June 30, 2025, Denver acquired Cameron Johnson from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick.
A couple of minutes later, Denver signed Bruce Brown to a veteran minimum contract. Denver continued their offseason a day later by signing Tim Hardaway Jr to a one-year deal.
The organization finalized its off-season twelve days later, on July 13, when it traded Dario Šarić to the Sacramento Kings for Jonas Valančiūnas. Although Denver added several players more recognizable to the average fan, they did not address the issues that were concerning last season.
The Denver Nuggets’ bench performance in 2024-25
Denver had one of the worst benches in the league last season, ranking 27th in scoring. During 14.7 minutes of action per game, Denver averaged 26.4 points, shooting 43.5% from the field on 22.3 attempts. The scoring issues were related to their inability to make shots from behind the arc.
The Nugget bench was 28th in three-point percentage, shooting 32.4% on 9.3 attempts per game. Denver’s bench unit played its longest stint of the game in the fourth quarter, averaging 5.4 minutes per outing. Consequently, the bench attempted three-pointers at a higher frequency, averaging 3.9 per game.
Unfortunately, they only succeeded in 33% of their attempts. The below-average percentage is due to the best players Denver chose to give minutes to in the fourth quarter. The team played five bench players in that quarter: DeAndre Jordan, Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, Peyton Watson, and Russell Westbrook. Those players have a combined career three-point percentage of below 33.3% on a maximum of 3.6 attempts per game.
Tim Hardaway Jr. Adds Shooting — But Not Consistency
Denver has only added one above-average shooter to the bench unit this entire season: Hardaway Jr. He is a career 36.1% three-point shooter, averaging 6.3 attempts per game. Although the addition of Hardaway Jr. is an overall positive, his three-point shooting percentage has been inconsistent from season to season.
For instance, Tim shot 33.6% during the 2021-22 season on 7.2 attempts per game in 29.6 minutes of action. The following season, he improved his three-point percentage by 4.9 percentage points. He shot 38.5% on 7.7 attempts per game in 30.3 minutes of action.
Furthermore, Tim had only achieved an above-average three-point percentage during back-to-back seasons once in his career. He shot 39. 4% on 7.4 attempts from the 2019-20 to 2020-21 seasons. Regardless of how he performs, one potential above-average shooter isn’t enough to fix their bench.
David Adelman’s offense
This is because the Denver Nuggets ran a ball movement offense during the 2025 playoffs under their new head coach, David Adelman. In 14 games, Denver was 5th in passes per game, averaging 273.
Denver usually begins its ball movement by placing Nikola around the elbow. On April 19, 2025, Jamal Murray dribbled the ball up the court with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter against the L.A. Clippers.
Murray got to the three-point line and waited for Nikola Jokic to establish post position near the right elbow. He passed the ball to Jokic once that happened and became a floor spacer for the rest of the possession. Jokic held the ball for a couple of seconds until Westbrook decided to cut to the basket from the free-throw line.
Westbrook would make the layout to end the possession. As the possession wrapped up, Aaron Gordon and Murray finished it on opposite sides of the court.
Denver’s offensive structure suggests that opposing teams will give multiple players space due to their struggles with three-point shooting. During the 2025-26 season, the bench is expected to feature Brown, Hardaway, Strawther, Valančiūnas, and Watson.
Brown, Strawther, Valančiūnas, and Watson all have career three-point shooting percentages below 33.4%. Consequently, there is only one bench player opposing defenders who should stay close to Hardaway.
Defenses Targeting Jonas Valančiūnas Will Disrupt The Denver Nuggets’ Offensive Rhythm
Therefore, opposing teams will likely have at least two defenders surrounding Jonas Valančiūnas as he is expected to mimic Nikola’s role for the second unit. The hypothetical game plan will affect Denver’s offense in multiple ways.
It will make the cutting in Denver’s offense less effective. Denver was second among all playoff teams in cuts per game. The team cut to the basket on 8.7% of their offensive possessions, averaging 9.8 per game.
Consequently, if an opposing team has multiple defenders surrounding him, teammates will be more reluctant to cut to the basket. One of the extra defenders can rotate over to cover the area a teammate was planning to use to cut to the basket.
Therefore, Valančiūnas will have fewer opportunities to pass the ball to a teammate cutting towards the basket. As a result, he will be more inclined to pass the ball out to the three-point line where teammates are open.
Jonas Valančiūnas’ decision forces his teammate to choose between taking a low-percentage open three-pointer or attempting to force a drive towards the basket.
If a teammate drives to the basket, he will, in effect, be resetting the offensive possession, as defenders will have a few seconds to realign themselves and get into position to stop him.
Warp up
Denver’s inability to acquire more three-point shooters for its second unit will likely lead it down the same path as last season. The lack of shooting firepower will force Denver to overuse its starting lineup to compensate for the bench unit’s lack of production. The Nuggets ranked third in the league in starter minutes, averaging 33.7 per game.
The bottom line is that Denver added several players who are more recognizable, but they won’t improve the bench’s offensive performance.
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