The Denver Nuggets enter the 2026-27 season in a strange spot.
Having finished top four in the Western Conference in seven of the last eight years, Denver fans have developed a baseline expectation for their team. With Nikola Jokic at the helm and Michael Malone as head coach, every year felt like the Nuggets had a shot.
However, for the first time in this Jokic era, that benchmark expectation feels different. And when teams fail to live up to the hype, the first person fans usually turn to is the coach.
To figure out why this Denver team doesn't feel like the Nuggets of old, it is necessary to revisit those older teams.
After struggling through the mid 2010s, a Jokic breakthrough got them out of their slump. In 2019, he led them to the conference semifinals, where they lost in seven. Then, in 2020, they made it all the way to the conference finals behind some Jamal Murray magic, great team depth, and back-to-back miraculous 3-1 comebacks.
2021 and 2022 were a bit of a wash, as Denver had no chance with Murray sidelined by his ACL tear. But in 2023, everything came together.
Aaron Gordon had begun to fit perfectly with the team, forming an elite trio with Jokic and Murray. Other guys like Michael Porter Jr. , Kentavious Caldwell-Pope , and Bruce Brown played massive roles, while head coach Michael Malone put on a tactical masterclass. After taking care of the Miami Heat in five games, the Nuggets were NBA champions .
In 2024, the basketball world thought they could run it back, but they were thwarted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference semifinals. Then, in 2025, the unthinkable happened.
With the Nuggets hovering around the four seed, fans and media alike still believed this team could make noise in the playoffs. However, ownership viewed his tumultuous relationship with general manager Calvin Booth as too much, firing both Booth and Malone right before the playoffs. As such, the team handed the reins to longtime assistant David Adelman.
Fans didn't know what to expect in that 2025 playoff run. On one hand, they knew their team had the talent, and that any contending year could be their last. However, they also knew how unlikely it was that they would win a championship given the sudden coaching change.
Nevertheless, Denver went out and battled. After a seven-game scare from the Clippers, they almost dethroned the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. In fact, some Nuggets fans still wonder if the series would've had a different outcome if Gordon hadn't gotten injured. Regardless, Adelman and Denver proved that year that they could still be a year-in, year-out contender as they were with Malone.
After last year, that sentiment may no longer be true. Everything that could go wrong for the Nuggets went wrong last year.
Many key rotation pieces missed serious time due to injury. Rising star Christian Braun faltered dramatically. Cameron Johnson , acquired in the Porter Jr. trade, struggled to find his footing. Ultimately, despite their struggles, Denver limped into a third-seed finish, which is when true disaster struck.
The Nuggets imploded in their first-round playoff series against the Timberwolves. They lost in six games, despite Minnesota not having superstar Anthony Edwards or key role players in Donte DiVincenzo or Ayo Dosunmu for parts of the series due to injuries.
There is plenty of blame to go around. Fans blamed the players for struggling, and they blamed the front office for constructing an imperfect roster. But Adelman definitely deserves his share of the blame.
After the 2025 playoff run, fans thought that Adelman might be able to perfectly fill Malone's shoes. However, this year proved the contrary.
The first difference is immediately visible. Malone was always animated, shouting at referees and yelling in huddles. His fire and love of the game were palpable. Adelman is the opposite. On the sideline, he always looks expressionless and stoic.
Granted, there is much more to coaching than what can be seen on television. But when the Nuggets are losing, and fans are waiting on Adelman to make changes, and he looks blank, it can easily rub them the wrong way.
Denver also had their worst defensive rating since the start of the Jokic era, as other teams were scoring at will. Even without Edwards, DiVincenzo, and Dosunmu, Minnesota had no problem getting buckets. In fact, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels even called out the whole team for being bad defenders.
Additionally, Adelman's adjustments were very poor. Facing off against a great coach in Chris Finch, Adelman blatantly got out-coached. He had no answer when Minnesota would blitz Denver's ball handlers and no defensive response to the Timberwolves' shifty guards and probing forwards. He failed to put in shooters when he needed shooting and defenders when he needed stops.
Simply put, Denver looked soft all series long. They couldn't handle Minnesota's pressure, they looked sluggish on defense, and they were timid in the paint. They lacked stamina, fight, and intensity, something that never happened under Malone.
Adelman has a few legitimate excuses.
It was his first full season as coach, and constant injuries prevented him from getting into rhythm during the year. In fact, he didn't even have Gordon or rising star Peyton Watson in the playoffs. Additionally, poor play from Braun and Johnson may be outside his control. Perhaps if the Nuggets stay healthy, Adelman can use his experiences from last season to turn the team around.
Year after year, Denver looks like a safe pick to make a deep run. But this year, not so much. Teams like the Spurs, Thunder, and the Timberwolves feel like a full tier above the Nuggets. Other teams like the Lakers and Rockets could prevent them from even cracking the top four.
Take this current Denver team and put them in the year 2024, and maybe they're viewed as a true contender. But with the abundance of other talent in the West, Nuggets fans are less than hopeful.
Denver fans are also concerned about the team's depth. Outside of DeMar DeRozan and Spencer Jones , the bench is full of holes and question marks. Tyus Jones running point and Marvin Bagley III down low is not scaring too many opponents in 2026.
Even with Jokic and company, for the first time in a while, it feels like Denver just isn't quite in the mix.
Nuggets fans remember how formidable their team was with Malone at the helm. They are also fully aware of how tragic their squad looked last playoffs against Minnesota. There were already calls to fire Adelman last offseason. Given that it was just his first full year, the front office opted to bring him back. But if it wasn't before, his seat is now scalding hot.
There is no doubt that Jokic is one of the greatest players in NBA history. As such, Denver should be doing everything they can to maximize their championship window. Many already feel that they have not done a fantastic job of doing so.
Therefore, should Adelman lead the Nuggets to an unimpressive season, he will almost certainly be fired. The organization simply cannot accept anything less than contention as long as Jokic is on the roster.
Maybe Adelman will surprise everyone this year. Maybe the defense will come back, and he'll get more comfortable with consistent lineups. With Jokic, a run is always possible. However, should he come up short, Denver will have to make a change.
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