Three Nuggets Who Must Prove Their Worth Next Season

As the Denver Nuggets search for answers this offseason, they could solve plenty of their issues internally. The Nuggets will be looking for depth all around this summer, but if a few of their players can step up and prove their worth next season, they will already be in a much better position.

Of course, they know they can lean on their stars like Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon, but these three players should have the opportunity to truly prove their worth next season:

Christian Braun

While Christian Braun is already a proven player in this league, he has to prove he is worth a $125 million contract. Braun earned a five-year, $125 million extension after an impressive 2024-25 campaign, but his production dipped this past season.

In 44 appearances of an injury-plagued season, Braun averaged 12.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, while shooting 51.9% from the field and 30.1% from three-point range. With his salary now set to jump from $4.9 million to $21.5 million, he needs to step up.

As Denver's long-term starting shooting guard, the Nuggets desperately need Braun to find his rhythm again, and at minimum, reach similar production as his 2024-25 season, in which he averaged 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game with 58.0/39.7/82.7 shooting splits.

With a full offseason to recover from multiple injury concerns, Braun should be able to get back to form next year.

Zeke Nnaji

The Nuggets will be frantically searching for improved frontcourt depth this summer, and while they will likely look for external options, Zeke Nnaji could help. The Nuggets made a mistake by handing Nnaji a generous $32 million contract extension, but he has not lived up to it yet.

This season, he averaged just 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per game, and he is running out of time to truly make an impact in Denver. It is no secret that the Nuggets have tried to find trades for Nnaji to get his contract off their books, but with a trade still unlikely, they might as well try to make him worth the money.

At 6-foot-10 with solid defensive tools, you would think that Nnaji would be able to earn more minutes in Denver's second unit. If they cannot find good offseason moves to improve their backup frontcourt, they might have to turn to Nnaji to play more minutes, in which they would desperately need him to step up and prove he is worthy of his contract.

Julian Strawther

Julian Strawther could be entering his final season with the Nuggets. After three semi-productive years in Denver, Strawther is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and it could be his last chance to prove himself.

This past season, he averaged 7.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 15.1 minutes per game, while shooting 46.7% from the field and 38.7% from three-point range. Many fans have been vouching for Strawther to earn more minutes in Denver's rotation, and next season could be his best opportunity.

If Tim Hardaway Jr. finds a new home in free agency this offseason, Strawther's role in Denver's lineup could grow next year and become a valuable bench spark if given the proper minutes to do so. If Strawther has a productive season, he could prove himself to the franchise and earn a long-term contract to stay in Denver.

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