Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Jonas Valanciunas

Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Adelman, Holmes, Malone

October 24th, 2025 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets became the last of the NBA’s 30 teams to play their regular season opener on Thursday, falling to the Warriors in a 137-131 overtime thriller. It was a huge night for veteran forward Aaron Gordon, who established new career highs by pouring in 50 points and making 10 three-pointers. However, he was disappointed not to come away with a victory in Golden State.

“They’re asking if I wanted the game ball, and no, I don’t want the game ball,” Gordon said, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “Take an L home with me? No thank you. So this sucks, but it’s one game, our first game. It’s a good team, it’s a really good team … we’re going to reconvene, watch the film and try to play better in our home opener.”

Nuggets head coach David Adelman said after the game that he felt “awful” for Gordon after his career performance was spoiled by some crunch-time heroics from Stephen Curry, who tied the game with a long-distance three-pointer in regulation, then scored a team-high seven overtime points to seal it. Still, Adelman was very pleased by what he saw from Gordon, who is typically a third or fourth offensive option for Denver.

“I thought he did it in a really efficient, smart way,” the Nuggets’ coach said. “He wasn’t forcing any … AG’s a special player. He has been for us for a long time.”

We have more on the Nuggets:

  • In an in-depth conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Adelman spoke about last season’s second-round playoff loss to Oklahoma City, why he believes Jonas Valanciunas is such an important addition to the roster, and the challenge of putting his own stamp on the team while also honoring a culture and foundation he helped establish as a longtime Nuggets assistant. “Yeah, it’d be stupid not to maintain some things that have been constants, that won us playoff games,” Adelman said. “But it would also be stupid not to realize the league educates itself and people have guarded us differently in the last two years. So doing the same thing over and over is not going to lead to anything successful in June. We have to tweak things.”
  • The Nuggets intend to send 2024 first-round pick DaRon Holmes to the G League throughout this season for developmental purposes, tweets Durando. Holmes missed his entire rookie year due to a torn Achilles and the team doesn’t want to rush him, Durando explains.
  • Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who was let go by the team near the end of last season, has shifted to a broadcast role this season. However, the 54-year-old said during an Inside The NBA appearance on Thursday that he doesn’t believe his coaching career is over (Twitter video link). “I’m definitely not done coaching,” Malone said. “Coaching is in my blood. I got that from my father. I’m excited to get back coaching on those sidelines and teaching once again.”
Repost Share Send via email

Nuggets Notes: Braun, Watson, Valanciunas, Jokic

October 21st, 2025 at 7:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It went down to the wire but Christian Braun was able to work out a rookie scale extension with the Nuggets. Braun signed a five-year deal worth $125MM and expressed relief on Tuesday, as The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando relays.

“It is a little stressful,” Braun said. “Like I said, I don’t like the negotiations just because you feel like you’re against people you love and people you care about. But I’m just really excited for the way it went down and just really happy that it’s over with.”

The process of working out a long-term agreement that he and his reps and the team were comfortable with made it a difficult exercise.

“Negotiations are kind of maybe not my thing,” he said. “Kind of felt like you’re kind of against them for a little bit. But I think it worked out really, really well. I was really, really happy with the outcome. I’m very grateful for everybody involved.”

We have more on the Nuggets:

  • There was mutual interest between the team and Peyton Watson regarding a rookie scale extension but those negotiations were complicated by the Nuggets’ desire to get Braun signed, Durando reports. Getting Braun under a long-term deal was seen as a higher priority due to the restrictions of the second tax apron. As Durando notes, if the Nuggets had also signed Watson for more than $7MM annually, they would have been projected as a second-apron team for 2026/27 with three more roster spots to eventually fill.
  • Speaking of Watson, the coaching staff is intent on increasing his ball-handling responsibilities and he’s grateful for their belief in him, Durando writes. “Our coaching staff has really put a lot of trust and belief in me this entire preseason, training camp,” Watson said, “to go out there and kind of play more like myself and have the ball in my hands. Make decisions. So I’ve been able to work on a lot of things just in live-action games against really, really talented players. I think that’s always good for confidence. It’s always good for my sharpness. And I feel great.”
  • The Nuggets have struggled to find a productive backup to Nikola Jokic at center ever since Jokic exploded onto the national landscape. Can Jonas Valanciunas finally solve the problem? Durando looks back at Jokic’s previous backups, detailing year-by-year the dropoff that occurred when the superstar center wasn’t on the floor.
  • The leading members of the team’s revamped front office want to keep Jokic happy. Keeping the three-time MVP in the loop is one of the ways they’re trying to ensure that he remains with the franchise for the long haul. “It would be crazy to not listen to his advice and his input, just because he’s so important to the organization,” executive VP of basketball operations Ben Tenzer told The Athletic’s Sam Amick. “But also, he sees (the game) a different way than we see it and how our scouts see it. He’s a brilliant basketball mind. So yeah, we have to ask him how he feels about things in general. And sometimes he’ll have opinions, sometimes he won’t. But it’s always good to just connect with him. That’s just a sign of respect.”
Repost Share Send via email

Nuggets Notes: Two-Big Lineup, Braun, Watson, Murray, Jones, Delk

October 16th, 2025 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

After being named the Nuggets‘ permanent head coach in the spring, David Adelman has shown during the preseason that he’s willing to experiment with unusual lineup combinations to see what clicks, writes Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette.

One of those lineups has seen centers Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas share the court. Adelman, who has used the two big men together for just a couple minutes in the second quarter in each of the past two games, admitted prior to Tuesday’s preseason matchup with Chicago that the unit is a work in progress, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required).

“I thought it was hilarious to watch it on tape,” Adelman said. “We haven’t had a ton of time (practicing with) those guys. They’ve scripted together, but they haven’t played together. But it’s kind of like, rip the Band-Aid off and just see what happens.

“… If they end up playing together a lot, we’ll slowly but surely add a package for those two guys,” he continued. “And not just for them, but to make the other three guys comfortable. I’ve made this point about Houston. Offensively, with the two bigs, (Alperen) Sengun was the point person, and (Steven) Adams just crushed the glass. So it’s like, our personalities are a little bit different. Val can crash the glass, but he’s also skilled. So I have to find a way to get those guys comfortable in space so they’re not right on top of each other.”

We have more on the Nuggets:

  • Both eligible for rookie scale extensions until Monday, fourth-year players Christian Braun and Peyton Watson have shown this month that they’re still adding new elements to their games, Durando writes in another story for The Denver Post. Braun has exhibited an increased willingness to take the ball to the basket, while Watson has operated on the ball more frequently this fall than in the past, Durando notes. Braun and Watson will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2026 if they don’t sign new deals before the season begins.
  • Jamal Murray has a history of starting seasons slow, but he looks well positioned to change that narrative this year, Benedetto writes for The Denver Gazette. Murray scored 30 points on 18 shots in Tuesday’s win over Chicago and appears to be “physically and mentally” ready for the season, says Benedetto.
  • Within the same story, Benedetto observes that two-way player Spencer Jones has frequently been used as the 10th man in Denver’s rotation this preseason, ahead of players like Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther, and DaRon Holmes. The former undrafted rookie out of Stanford, entering his second season on a two-way contract with the Nuggets, has been lauded by Adelman for his defensive versatility.
  • The Nuggets have hired former NBA guard Tony Delk as a scout, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Delk, who appeared in 545 regular season games for eight teams from 1996-2006, most recently served as a pro personnel scout for the Mavericks.
Repost Share Send via email

Nuggets Notes: Bench Squad, Valanciunas, Jokic, Hardaway

October 4th, 2025 at 9:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heading into training camp with a set starting lineup, Nuggets coach David Adelman has been able to focus on figuring out his bench rotation, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson and Jonas Valanciunas have been the main group scrimmaging against the starters, but Adelman said “that second unit will fluctuate” as he rotates in other players.

Brown, a reserve on Denver’s 2023 title team who returned as a free agent this summer, likes the way that group fits together. “I think we can do everything,” he said. “We’ve got shooters. We’ve got defenders.”

Durando notes that the current fivesome is heavy on wings, so Jalen Pickett, DaRon Holmes II, Zeke Nnaji or Hunter Tyson may be added to the mix. Cameron Johnson told Durando that Pickett has been outstanding in camp at running the second and third units.

There’s more on the Nuggets:

  • Valanciunas, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Sacramento, has been orchestrating the offense for the second team much like Nikola Jokic does with the starters, Durando adds in the same story. Durando suggests that Adelman could decide to surround Valanciunas with four smaller players in a motion-based offense. “This has been good for him to get used to our system a little bit,” Adelman said. “He hasn’t done some of this stuff outside of a couple months in Sacramento, playing off the elbow and the top of the key. … So I have to do him a service. We’ve gotta get to some post-up plays and things that he’s used to.”
  • Jokic will have the freedom to determine how far he wants to venture away from the rim on defense, Durando states in a separate story. Adelman trusts his veteran center to recognize what level of drop coverage is appropriate based on the opponent. “There’s so many levels of drops,” Adelman said. “He won’t be just at the rim like he’s (Rudy) Gobert. But it’s just looking for maybe a little more of (him defending) down the floor, a couple steps down the floor. And more so, I think what we’re trying to create with him — he’s so high-IQ — is the Marc Gasol model, where he’s choosing his levels depending on the quality of player or what the player does well. We all know his IQ is so high, but we have to work on that and allow him to work on it in practice.”
  • Hardway said the team’s style of play led him to join the Nuggets in free agency, relays Jared Koch of Sports Illustrated. “Everybody’s moving without the ball nonstop, basically sharing the wealth,” he said. “All you’ve got to do is just make the right play time after time after time again, and great things will happen.”
Repost Share Send via email

Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Valanciunas, Braun, Brown, Murray

September 29th, 2025 at 1:55pm CST by Rory Maher

Three-time MVP and 2023 Finals MVP Nikola Jokic declined to sign a veteran extension with the Nuggets this summer, but that decision was more about maximizing his earnings rather than any sign of disconnect, he confirmed today (Twitter link via Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports).

“My plan is to be with the Nuggets forever,” Jokic said. 

Jokic has long said he admires Tim Duncan, who spent all 19 years of his illustrious career with the Spurs.

The Nuggets were reportedly anticipating that Jokic might bypass an extension due to the additional year and extra $79MM they can offer next summer.

Based on the latest salary cap projections, a three-year, maximum-salary for Jokic beginning in 2027/28 would be worth $206.4MM. A four-year deal, available next offseason, would be worth a projected $285.4MM.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

  • New backup center Jonas Valanciunas was heavily linked to Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos this summer shortly after Denver agreed to acquire him in a trade sending Dario Saric to Sacramento. When asked about that interest, Valanciunas made it clear he was focused on the present, as Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette relays (via Twitter). “One thing I want to clarify is I’m here. I’m happy to be here. I’m going to dive in to win more games than ever,” Valanciunas said. Interestingly, head coach David Adelman said the Nuggets will explore using Jokic and Valanciunas together at times, tweets Benedetto.
  • Executive VP of player personnel Jon Wallace said the Nuggets have had “preliminary conversations” with Christian Braun about a potential rookie scale extension, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link). “We hope to kind of build on (those talks) in the next couple days. He’s a large part of what we do,” Wallace said. Braun, who will remain extension-eligible through Oct. 20, said he wasn’t frustrated that a deal hasn’t been completed yet (Twitter link from Benedetto).
  • Veteran swingman Bruce Brown is back with the Nuggets after spending the past two years on three different teams. He tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that leaving in 2023 free agency after the championship run was purely a financial decision. “I left (Denver) obviously because I got paid really well; I didn’t want to leave,” Brown said. “It was tough to leave, but I had to. I was in a place like Indy, which was on the verge of being really good. And I ended up being traded to teams where they were rebuilding and not really in a position to win a championship. And if you know how I play, I like to win. I don’t like to lose. So, as soon as I got to Toronto, I thought about coming back to Denver right away. Fast forward to getting traded to New Orleans. Another tough spot. A lot of injuries there. And the whole time I was in New Orleans, I was thinking about the Nuggets.”
  • After an injury limited his effectiveness in both the 2024 playoffs with Denver and in the Paris Olympics with Canada, Jamal Murray says he feels much better this year heading into training camp, tweets Benedetto. “I just feel a lot better than last summer. That’s always positive,” said Murray.
Repost Share Send via email

Aaron Gordon Thrilled About Nuggets’ Offseason Moves

September 17th, 2025 at 9:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets‘ new front office made several significant additions this summer in an effort to rebuild a championship-level roster. Among those impressed by the moves is power forward Aaron Gordon, who shared his excitement in an interview this week with Malika Andrews on NBA Today (hat tip to The Sports Rush).

Denver sent Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn in a trade for Cameron Johnson, and acquired backup center Jonas Valanciunas from Sacramento in a separate deal. The team also added shooting by signing free agent swingman Tim Hardaway Jr.

“That’s a squad, especially with Big Val too,” Gordon said. “Big Val is gonna hold that down. That’s a boy. We got a squad.”

The move that Gordon is most excited about is the return of versatile swingman Bruce Brown, who was also added in free agency. Brown was an important member of the 2023 title team and was used at several positions.

“Brucey B is back. Uh-oh. Might be problems for y’all, Brucey B is back,” Gordon said.

Gordon, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Tuesday, is coming off a typically productive season that saw him average 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 51 games. He has fully recovered from the hamstring injury that limited his effectiveness in Games 6 and 7 of the Western Conference semifinals loss to Oklahoma City.

Gordon, who has developed an on-court chemistry with Nikola Jokic since being traded to Denver in 2021, also talked about the privilege of playing alongside the perennial MVP candidate every night.

“He’s amazing … to get to play around one of the best players, if not the best player of all-time,” Gordon said. “It’s the gravity that Joker has. I think we have a great understanding of each other on and off the basketball floor. You guys are gonna see that flourish.”

Repost Share Send via email

Greece Reaches EuroBasket Semis Behind Giannis’ 29 Points

September 9th, 2025 at 5:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece reached the EuroBasket semifinals for the first time in 16 years, downing Lithuania, 87-76, in Riga, Latvia on Tuesday.

The Bucks superstar poured in 29 points to carry his team into a semifinal matchup with Turkey. Greece stalled in the quarterfinals during four of the last five EuroBasket tourneys, but broke though with a strong second-half effort.

Greece led 44-38 at the halftime break. Lithuania scored the first three points of the second half before Greece increased the cushion back to 51-41. It was 58-43 midway through the third quarter. Lithuania never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.

Giannis converted 9-of-15 shots and 11-of-16 free throws while scoring 29 points. He also added six rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block. Vasileios Toliopoulos hit three 3-pointers while scoring 17 points and Kostas Sloukas added 11 points and four assists.

Greece moved to within just two wins of their third EuroBasket crown. They took gold in 1987 and 2005.

“My players did a great job playing with a big heart in front of so many thousands of people from Lithuania in a very nice atmosphere,” head coach Vasileios Spanoulis said, per FIBA.

Nuggets big man Jonas Valanciunas led Lithuania with 24 points and 15 rebounds.

“Tonight was a battle. Both teams battled until the end. They were stronger,” Valanciunas said. “They were better than us. I was just happy we fought until the end, no matter what. It was a good fight.”

Repost Share Send via email

28 Current NBA Players Competing In FIBA EuroBasket 2025

August 27th, 2025 at 7:07am CST by Luke Adams

On the heels of the FIBA World Cup in 2023 and the Paris Olympics in 2024, the 2025 NBA offseason doesn’t feature a major international tournament in which the United States’ top stars are competing.

However, several of the league’s biggest names – including three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and five-time All-NBA first-teamer Luka Doncic – are taking part in FIBA EuroBasket 2025, which tipped off on Wednesday.

The tournament, also known as the European Basketball Championship, takes place every four years and features 24 European countries vying for a gold medal. The 24 teams who qualified for EuroBasket are split up into four groups and will face the other teams in their group across five games from August 27 to September 4.

At the end of group play, the top four teams from each group will advance to the knockout round, which is a single-elimination tournament featuring the remaining 16 countries.

By our count, 28 active NBA players are taking part in EuroBasket 2025, along with 30 former NBA players and several more who were selected in an NBA draft but have yet to play in the league.

Here’s the full list of current and former NBA players set to compete in EuroBasket, sorted by group and country:

Group A

Czechia (Czech Republic)

  • Current NBA players: Vit Krejci (Hawks)
  • Former NBA players: None

Estonia

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: Henri Drell

Latvia

Portugal

  • Current NBA players: Neemias Queta (Celtics)
  • Former NBA players: None

Serbia

Serbia’s roster also includes Nikola Milutinov and Vanja Marinkovic, who are former NBA draft picks but have never played in the league.

Turkey

Group B

Finland

Germany

Great Britain

Lithuania

Lithuania’s roster also includes Rokas Jokubaitis, a former NBA draft pick who has never played in the league, and Azuolas Tubelis, who was on a two-way contract with the Sixers during the 2023 offseason but was waived before the season began.

Montenegro

Sweden

  • Current NBA players: Pelle Larsson (Heat)
  • Former NBA players: None

Group C

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Current NBA players: Jusuf Nurkic (Jazz)
  • Former NBA players: None

Cyprus

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: None

Georgia

Greece

Italy

Italy’s roster also includes Matteo Spagnolo, Gabriele Procida, and Saliou Niang, who are former NBA draft picks but have never played in the league.

Spain

Group D

Belgium

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: None

France

France’s roster also includes Isaia Cordinier, a former NBA draft pick who has never played in the league.

Iceland

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: None

Israel

  • Current NBA players: Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers)
  • Former NBA players: None

Israel’s roster also includes Yam Madar, a former NBA draft pick who has never played in the league.

Poland

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: Jordan Loyd

Slovenia

  • Current NBA players: Luka Doncic (Lakers)
  • Former NBA players: None
Repost Share Send via email

EuroBasket Notes: Doncic, Player Rankings, Valanciunas, Smailagic

August 20th, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Dana Gauruder

Any concerns about Luka Doncic‘s health were eased on Tuesday when the Lakers superstar guard scored 28 points and dished out 10 assists for Slovenia in a 93-81 exhibition win over Great Britain, Eurohoops.net relays.

Doncic had an injury scare on Saturday when a Slovenian teammate fell on his right leg during an exhibition game against Latvia. It was later diagnosed as a right knee contusion.

Here’s more on the upcoming EuroBasket tournament:

  • Doncic ranks third among the NBA players participating in the tournament, according to Neil Paine of ESPN. Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) rank first and second, with Franz Wagner (Germany) and Alperen Sengun (Turkey) rounding out the top five.
  • Jonas Valanciunas is the lone NBA player on the Lithuanian squad but he feels his national team can make some noise, according to Nikola Miloradovic of Eurohoops.net. “I think every team is capable. We have some big names coming. Serbia, Turkey, Germany, we have Slovenia with Luka and, Greece with Giannis,” he said. “… We have a lot of a lot of a lot of big names, but that feel like every team is capable and every team can make some shake.”
  • Former Warriors forward Alen Smailagic won’t play for Serbia in the tourney, according to Sportando. Injuries prevented him from participating in prep games. Euro star Dzanan Musa will also miss the event for Bosnia and Herzegovina due to health issues, Basketnews.com relays.
Repost Share Send via email

Domantas Sabonis Talks Kings’ Offseason

August 10th, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

Domantas Sabonis has experienced highs and lows during his tenure as a member of the Kings, and he says he’s excited about what the coming year could look like in the wake of some of the personnel additions made by general manager Scott Perry.

“I think Scott’s done a great job so far, and he’s trying to turn things around just like everyone else,” Sabonis said during his basketball camp in Roseville, as relayed by ABC 10’s Matt George (Twitter link).

He also hinted that there might be more to come.

“A lot has changed; a lot’s probably still gonna change, so we’re just gonna wait and see ’til training camp,” he said.

One area that Sabonis is encouraged by is the addition of Dennis Schröder. The Kings were missing a point guard after they traded De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs in a deal that sent Zach LaVine and Sidy Cissoko to Sacramento.

“Right now, we have a starting caliber point guard. Dennis is very talented,” Sabonis said.

Sabonis was also encouraged by the play of the young Kings at Summer League, and mentioned that he hosted Isaac Jones and rookie Maxime Raynaud in Napa Valley, working out and preparing for the season.

Sabonis has a strong relationship with Doug Christie, who went from interim head coach to head coach this summer, and is looking forward to their partnership continuing this season.

“He was in there with me those three summers, every day in the gym,” Sabonis said, with a smile on his face. “I’ve seen how hard he works, so for him to have this opportunity, the fans love him, he’s one of us here. So I think it’s going to be very exciting.”

When asked about the trade that sent fellow Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas to Denver, Sabonis said, “We know where all these decisions come from. It’s sad to see a friend leave, but at the same time, you understand. I’m happy for him; he’s with the Nuggets now, the top team in the West, and all he wants to do is win. I know he’s happy.”

The star center believes that having a training camp will allow Christie to create a scheme that maximizes the interchange of skills between Sabonis, LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan.

Sabonis said that after his camp, his plan is to fly down to Los Angeles to work out with some Kings players, hinting that DeRozan would be one of the players present.

Repost Share Send via email
Load More Posts