David Adelman Has One Big Takeaway From Nuggets' Preseason Loss to Jazz

While this loss will not matter for the Denver Nuggets in the long run, they obviously would've loved to have kicked off their preseason with a win. The Nuggets fell to the Utah Jazz on Sunday night, 109-97, but still, the final result will not be what the franchise truly cares about.

After a crushing first-round playoff exit ended their 2025-26 campaign, the Nuggets want any sign of hope that they will be able to get back into championship contention this season. Did they show that in their preseason opener? Maybe, but they were far from perfect.

Make their shots

Sure, they are just shaking off the rust after a long offseason, but as a team, the Nuggets shot 40% from the field, 28% from beyond the arc, and 67% from the free-throw line. After the game, head coach David Adelman had one big takeaway: they need to make their shots.

"Make open shots," Adelman said about Sunday's loss. "I felt like we created a lot of good shots. And I think the second part of that is, out of fairness to these young guys, the stuff that we have in is for our first group. So there's some people out there trying to do things that we've put in, but that's not their strengths. I'm gonna ignore some of that stuff. But I was really happy with the offense in the half."

Adelman took a bit of the blame for the Nuggets' poor shooting, saying that the game was curated for the team's starters, rather than the bench guys. Regardless, the Nuggets struggled to hit their shots, and they have to hope it does not become a trend this season.

Last season, the Nuggets were the best three-point shooting team in the NBA. We already predicted that they would regress in that area, especially after losing key bench scorers like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Peyton Watson, but they still have the personnel to be efficient from the field.

It also does not help that their two most efficient scorers were non-factors in that area. Nikola Jokic attempted just one shot, and Jamal Murray did not play, putting the team's offense in the hands of the other players.

Improved defense?

While Adelman was quick to talk about the Nuggets' shooting struggles, he also shared some positivity about the direction of the team's defense, noting their young players as potential difference-makers on that side of the ball.

"I thought the defense—these young guys, Alpha [Diallo]—that's how they're gonna make it. You saw what they could do, regardless of what the score was," Adelman said.

Alpha Diallo needs big minutes this season. pic.twitter.com/bn635zEryT
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) October 5, 2026

The Nuggets might've lost some difference-makers on offense this summer, but adding guys like Alpha Diallo and Trevon Brazile, while re-signing Spencer Jones, should make an obvious impact on the team's defense.

Not to mention, above-average defenders like Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon already look healthier than they did last season. Once the Nuggets start consistently knocking down their shots, this mix of a high-powered offense and an optimistically improved defense could give this team some championship hopes.

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