What We Learned About the Nuggets Rotation in Season Opener

The Denver Nuggets were unsure what their rotation would look like on opening night, and even after losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder, there is still uncertainty around what lineups David Adelman will roll with moving forward.

Of course, the Nuggets will keep their starting lineup the same, but there will continue to be questions about the bench unit. Let's take a look at everything we learned about the rotation in Thursday night's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder:

Jokic plays with the second unit

Just a week before opening night, Adelman said he did not want to play a starter with the second unit. In Thursday's loss, he changed his mind. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic played the entire first quarter, ending the period on the floor with Tyus Jones, Alpha Diallo, DeMar DeRozan, and Trevon Brazile.

Final Rotations. Nuggets lose going away to the Thunder with some major second half scoring struggles.

Jokic - 13 points on 19 shots
Murray - 6 points, 2/11 FG, 6 TOVs
DeRozan - 13 points, 5 TOVs in Nuggets debut pic.twitter.com/ogRlzAofjl
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) October 23, 2026

The third quarter was similar, as Jokic and Christian Braun played the entire period alongside a mix of starters and second-unit guys. The Nuggets struggled to find consistent lineups that worked for Jokic as the superstar center finished with a team-worst minus-20, but it was clear that Adelman was trying to experiment with different concepts.

This could certainly change as we move along, as Adelman likely wants to manage Jokic's minutes better, but he showed a willingness to play the superstar big man with the second unit, despite his prior comments.

Alpha Diallo gets his opportunities

With Julian Strawther sidelined, Alpha Diallo was Denver's top choice to replace him in the second unit. Of course, that does not come as a surprise, but it is noteworthy that the Nuggets were so willing to lean on the first-year wing.

Alpha Diallo is a truly special PnR defender pic.twitter.com/OWElWGF72a
— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) October 23, 2026

When Cameron Johnson was sidelined after halftime due to an injury, Diallo filled in for him to begin the second half alongside the starters. Obviously, these were not ideal circumstances for the Nuggets, but they showed trust in Diallo to step up when they needed him.

Even when the Nuggets are fully healthy, it will be hard to keep Diallo off the floor, and we now have to wonder if he will start in their next game with Johnson potentially sidelined.

Bagley and Jones are limited

With Jamal Murray logging 37 minutes and Nikola Jokic logging 35, the Nuggets' second unit did not shake out as we expected. Because the star duo played the majority of the game, Tyus Jones and Marvin Bagley III were pretty limited.

We saw Jones on the floor for nine minutes, and only two in the second half. Obviously, the Nuggets are going to lean on Murray, but I thought we'd see more of the Jones-Bagley pick-and-roll Adelman kept raving about in training camp.

David Adelman 🗣️

"We've had more talented rosters here, but sometimes having the same kind of players 1-15 can hurt you."

"We haven't had a guy like Tyus in a long time. Monte was very much like Tyus."

"Marvin's a lob threat. We haven't had that in while. Mason Plumlee was." pic.twitter.com/Pl1mcdv67a
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) October 8, 2026

Bagley finished with 11 minutes, but was actually productive when on the floor. Unlike what we're used to seeing, the Nuggets survived the non-Jokic minutes, and some of that success is obviously attributed to having a reliable backup center in Bagley.

As Adelman looks to monitor Murray and Jokic's minutes, we should see more of Jones and Bagley throughout the season. As two of the team's most reliable bench players, the Nuggets will need to count on them to relieve the star duo, but in the first game of the season, he seemed less worried about overworking the starters.

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