Which Nuggets Player Feels Most Likely to Break Out This Season

The Denver Nuggets' starting lineup is going to look exactly how they left things off from last season––per recent comments from head coach David Adelman.

Yet, their bench unit is certainly going to see a few key changes from last year's group. New faces are in, multiple pieces from last year are out, and thus creates a good chunk of opportunity for those in the fold to take advantage of.

So that puts a select few Nuggets bench players on the radar for a potential breakout campaign, if a few factors break their way.

Minutes and shots are there for the taking in a big way, and for one name in Denver's second unit, he might be in perfect position to cash in on those: that's fourth-year wing Julian Strawther.

Why Julian Strawther Is the Nuggets Breakout Candidate to Watch

There are two factors I'm looking at for as to why Strawther is the guy to look towards with the best shot at a big-time improvement from last season's numbers: that's the talent who left this offseason, and the implications of a contract year.

The second note is simple: Strawther is in the final year of his rookie deal, will be eager to get a payday for his second contract, and by putting together a career-best season in a year where he could see his most expansive opportunity since arriving in Denver, the pieces really might be there for a breakout campaign.

Last year, Strawther finished the season averaging 7.2 points on 46.7% shooting from the field and 38.7% from three, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while playing in 57 games throughout the year. In those appearances, he averaged just over 15 minutes a night, a bit less than the 21.3 minutes a night he saw in his sophomore season.

So he's got a ton of room to grow from those splits he posted last year. And when looking at the state of Denver's bench compared to their 2025-26 campaign, a lot of minutes have opened up for Strawther to slide into.

Sep 28, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (1) during media day at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No Tim Hardaway Jr. No Peyton Watson. And no Bruce Brown. All three are those who can play on the wing that were directly taking away minutes from Strawther last year, who now are all in completely different situations than the Mile High.

That means the Nuggets will be in clear need of someone to take ahold of that bench production that has been lost out, and one or two names to fill the leftover minutes on the wing that those like Hardaway and Watson won't be filling anymore.

And as for Strawther, he now finds himself right next to Zeke Nnaji as one of the longest-tenured bench players on the roster. The Nuggets certainly have some built-up trust in his abilities entering his fourth season, and they could showcase that in full by expanding how much work he gets on a nightly basis.

Bottom Line

Sure, DeMar DeRozan is going to take a lot of the shots in the second unit. And it's going to be tough for Strawther to make a similar rise up the depth chart like Peyton Watson did last season.

In reality, he's not going to be a starter this season, barring any unforeseen changes or injury, and would cap out a "breakout season" by taking clear command of Denver's seventh man, or in the best-case scenario, sixth man role.

However, if there was anyone's name on the Nuggets' roster to circle with the best chance to improve their stock the most over the course of the next several months, there's little doubt that Strawther has a great route to make that happen.

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