Projecting Each Nuggets Starter's Stat Line for 2026-27 Season

How will the Denver Nuggets' starting five perform this season?

Mar 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) celebrates with forward Aaron Gordon (32) and center Nikola Jokic (15) against the Phoenix Suns in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When healthy, the Denver Nuggets have one of the best starting lineups in the NBA. Last season, their lineup of Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic posted a +12.9 net rating and finished with a 18-5 record through 23 games together.

Of course, that was a much smaller sample size than the Nuggets would've liked, as Braun, Johnson, and Gordon each missed significant time due to injuries, and they are hoping for better health this season. If those five can stay healthy, the Nuggets' ceiling remains a championship, especially if they are all playing at their best.

Here is a glimpse of how I think each starter will perform this season, by projecting how their season-long stat lines will shake out.

Jamal Murray

Apr 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Projected Stats: 23.5 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST, 1.5 STK, 48% FG, 41% 3PT, 89% FT

Murray is coming off the best season of his nine-year career, making his first All-Star and All-NBA appearances. While Murray should be able to ride that success into the 2026-27 season, we might see a slight drop from the 29-year-old.

Murray will still be the Nuggets' second-leading scorer, but for him to replicate his 25.4 points per game on 43.5% shooting from beyond the arc from last season would be a miracle. Also, his highest-scoring month came in January, when Nikola Jokic was sidelined due to injury. We obviously hope the Nuggets do not need to rely on Murray to lead their offense like that again.

Christian Braun

Mar 17, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Ball Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Projected Stats: 15 PTS, 5 REB, 3.5 AST, 1.7 STK, 54% FG, 37% 3PT, 80% FT

Braun is coming off a very disappointing 2025-26 campaign. Granted, he played most of the season injured, but he concerningly shot just 30.1% from three-point range and never truly looked like himself.

Now, Braun's five-year, $125 million contract is kicking in, and the Nuggets need him to step up as much as ever. Thankfully, we expect Braun to have a viable bounce-back season. While he might not be as consistently impressive as he was in 2024-25, he should at least get much closer to what we saw in that breakout season.

Cameron Johnson

Feb 22, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson (23) dribbles upcourt against the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter at Chase Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Projected Stats: 13.5 PTS, 4 REB, 2.5 AST, 1.1 STK, 47% FG, 42% 3PT, 86% FT

Statistically, Cameron Johnson is coming off his worst season since 2021-22. However, his impact was certainly felt in Denver. He shot 43% from beyond the arc, and if you take out his first 11 games of the season, he shot nearly 47%. Johnson was an absolute sharpshooter for the Nuggets, thriving in their floor-spacing system as Jokic and Murray consistently gave him easy looks.

We will likely see a similar season from Johnson as we did in 2025-26, but maybe with some more volume without worrying about that awkward period of trying to get comfortable on a new team.

Aaron Gordon

Mar 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Projected Stats: 17 PTS, 6.5 REB, 3.5 AST, 1.2 STK, 53.5% FG, 39.5% 3PT, 78% FT

The Nuggets' main priority with Gordon is his health, as they just need him to stay healthy. However, we can still dive into his expected stat line. Gordon was having an incredible 2025-26 season when healthy, but played just 36 games. If he can continue to play like that while staying healthy, he could be due for the best year of his career.

Gordon is the perfect frontcourt partner for Jokic, and the more he plays in this Nuggets system, the better he seems to get. He is getting to the point where there is no glaring weakness in his game, and the Nuggets are certainly benefiting.

Nikola Jokic

Apr 12, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) awaits the start of a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Projected Stats: 26.5 PTS, 12.5 REB, 10 AST, 2.1 STK, 59% FG, 39% 3PT, 81% FT

The three-time MVP will be as consistently dominant as always this season. We should expect to see him average a triple-double for the third consecutive season, although his efficiency should take a step up from last year.

After his month-long injury absence last season, his efficiency dipped, and we could tell he was not fully healthy. Heading into the new season, the Nuggets need him at 100%, and if he stays as healthy as possible, he should be as efficient and incredible as we are used to seeing.

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