Jamal Murray Sets High Expectations for Nuggets' Second Unit

Among the Denver Nuggets' list of top priorities from this offseason, the most important of those tasks for the front office to hit on might have been optimizing the bench unit.

An through a handful of new additions, the Nuggets did exactly that.

They brought in Bruce Brown as a returning face in the backcourt. Tim Hardaway Jr. signed on as a veteran name in the mix. Jonas Valanciunas enters as perhaps the best backup big Nikola Jokic has had behind him throughout his tenure in Denver.

Adding that talent to the second unit was a task that, on paper, the Nuggets passed off as a productive summer, and it's seemingly already begun to show signs of having a pretty productive year ahead through the eyes of those in the building.

That revamped second unit has already caught the attention of Jamal Murray, who, on the second day of training camp, said that the Nuggets bench had a chance to be one of the best in the NBA.

"We're going to have a lot of different lineups out there," Murray said. " It's going to be really cool to have all of the shooting that we have out there. A lot of those guys bring a lot of defense. We're going to be scoring points and defending at a rate that we're not even used to."

"I think that's going to be really good for us, and just having all of these different weapons in different spots, we can have one of the best benches in the league."

“I feel like we can have one of the BEST benches in the league.” - Jamal Murray 😤 pic.twitter.com/j1wNGEl8zH
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) October 1, 2025

Could that status as a top bench in the league be an achievable feat for the Nuggets? It's extremely plausible. Between the position size, versatility, and shooting ability spanning throughout the entire unit, it's not only among the more talented bench groups in the league on paper, but extremely well-rounded too.

Beyond the new offseason additions, the Nuggets will also have the returning talent of young guys like Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther on the wing, and there's even a world where DaRon Holmes returns from his season-ending injury from last year to emerge as an impact player for the year ahead.

Dec 28, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (3) reacts to his basket scored with forward Peyton Watson (8) in the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

All of that's to say, keep an eye on the Nuggets' bench unit this season, as they could be one of the most potent the NBA has to offer.

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