Julian Strawther Rumors

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.”

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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.

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.

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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.”

Nuggets’ David Adelman Plans Style Changes Next Season

May 28th, 2025 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

David Adelman talked about changes in philosophy and style of play at an introductory news conference Wednesday to officially make him the Nuggets‘ permanent head coach, writes Pat Graham of The Associated Press.

Adelman held the job on an interim basis after taking over when Michael Malone was fired on April 8 with three games left in the regular season. Adelman led the team to a first-round victory over the Clippers before dropping a seven-game series to the Thunder in the second round.

Players responded positively to the increased input they were able to provide under Adelman, along with the lifting of tensions that occurred with the dismissal of Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.

Looking ahead to next season, Adelman said he wants the team to get in “better shape” and he’s planning to expand the rotation beyond what Malone normally utilized. He’s looking at a slower style of play to maximize the skills of star center Nikola Jokic.

“We have to get back to being an execution-based team,” Adelman said. “If that takes away some of our pace numbers, or whatever the analytics want to say, I think that’s OK if it wins you a game in May, as opposed to playing a game in December. The majority of the time, if you want to win big, you’ve got to play slow. You’ve got to be efficient. You’ve got to be clean. So that will be things we’ll talk about throughout the summer, going to training camp.”

Graham points out that it won’t be easy to add talent to the roster because the Nuggets don’t own any picks in next month’s draft. Any significant trade would likely have to break up the current starting five, so the best avenue toward improvement will be progress from young players Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Jalen Pickett and DaRon Holmes, who missed his entire rookie season after suffering an Achilles tear in a Summer League game.

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Between the reduced pace and Adelman’s desire for “a premium on shot-making,” Russell Westbrook shouldn’t be part of the team next season, contends Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Westbrook holds a $3.47MM player option, and Renck says the best outcome would be for him to decline it and join a team like Brooklyn that’s looking for a big name. Renck suggests using the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign free agent Tyus Jones, who would provide a steadier option as backup point guard.
Team president Josh Kroenke wants a better relationship between his coach and GM this time, so Adelman will have at least a small role in filling that position, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “DA will come into that process at some point. … But I think the input will be relatively minimal, because what I’ll be looking for is cohesion between those two (roles),” Kroenke said. “And I think that once we decide on that, I think I’ll have a lot of comfort on how they work together.” Kroenke added that he has “no news on that front” when asked about hiring an outside firm to identify potential GM candidates. He also praised interim GM Ben Tenzer for the way he’s handled the role since Booth was fired.
Adelman needs to send a strong message to Jamal Murray about coming to camp in shape and being at his best when the season starts, states Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Murray’s four-year, $207.8MM extension will take effect next season.

Nuggets Notes: Murray, Strawther, Adelman

May 16th, 2025 at 6:32pm CST by Eli Cohen

Jamal Murray wasn’t only dealing with the normal adversity of his Nuggets facing an elimination game as he headed into Game 6 at home, writes Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. Murray woke up on game day feeling sick enough that his status was listed as questionable heading into the pivotal face-off against the higher-seeded Thunder.

The severity of the illness required him to receive fluids via an IV drip, according to interim head coach David Adelman.

“There was a high likelihood he may not play,” Adelman said. “And you get the IV in you. You get the meds in you. … I kind of was watching the first six minutes like, ‘Is this real? Can he do it?’ And I thought he had good energy, good juice. There were a couple times he really didn’t want to go back to get the ball because he was so gassed, having a hard time breathing.”

Despite Adelman’s worries, Murray said he was always confident he was going to play, according to Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette. In the end, Denver’s point guard ended up compiling 25 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists as the team won 119-107 to force Game 7 in Oklahoma City.

“Everything was kind of bothering me, but kind of once the game starts and the team needs you and adrenaline kicks in, a couple of shots go in or whatever, you just kind of suck it up and get through it,” Murray said, matter-of-factly.

Adelman doesn’t take such things for granted, though. “… That’s Jamal Murray,” the Nuggets coach marveled. “It’s almost like the worse it is, the better off it’s gonna be.”

The star point guard will now have two full days to recover before the winner-takes-all matchup on Sunday.

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Thursday’s must-win victory proved a measure of vindication for recently fired general manager Calvin Booth, writes The Denver Post’s Sean Keeler. Keeler points to the pivotal contributions from two of Booth’s draft picks: Christian Braun, who was taken 21st in the 2022 draft, and Julian Strawther, the 29th pick in 2023. Booth’s insistence on playing the young prospects he drafted, as well as his struggles to retain veteran talent, have been cited as reasons he clashed with former head coach Michael Malone preceding their dismissals — in Game 6, the kids repaid Booth’s faith.
Coming into the postseason, Strawther wasn’t sure he’d be part of the Nuggets’ playoff rotation, writes Durando. “The staff was transparent with me: ‘We may or may not need you to stay ready,'” he said, and stay ready he did. His heroics in Game 6, scoring 15 points over 10 minutes in the second half, were critical to the team extending the series. It was his first time scoring in double digits since February. Just as importantly to his coach, he didn’t get exploited on defense. “You want to keep an offensive player out there, but they have to be able to handle their own on the other end. And he did. We didn’t have to change schematically, defensively, because he sat down, moved his feet and guarded,” Adelman said.
Nikola Jokic has demonstrated more on-court leadership in the wake of former coach Michael Malone‘s firing, but that doesn’t mean the MVP doesn’t trust the Nuggets’ new coach. “Even when I see something and just ask him a question, he thinks about it. I think we have great communication,” Jokic said when asked about his discussions with Adelman regarding strategy, reports Eurohoops’ Johnny Askounis. That collaboration has helped rejuvenate a Nuggets team that will enter Sunday night with a chance to go to the Western Conference Finals.

Nuggets Notes: Fourth Quarter, Strawther, Murray, Gordon, Jokic

May 15th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Nuggets defeated the Thunder in Game 6 in Denver on Thursday, blowing the game open and keeping it out of reach in the fourth quarter. This comes one game after the Nuggets gave away a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose on the road.

Interim coach David Adelman shouldered the blame for the fourth quarter woes in Game 5, per The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. That game saw Nikola Jokic play the entire second half. This time around, the Nuggets were able to give Jokic some rest — for nearly four minutes of game time — and he was able to come back into the game with a larger lead than when he left.

Part of the reason for Denver’s impressive fourth quarter was the stellar play of Julian Strawther, who scored seven of his 15 points in the final frame.

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Jamal Murray was listed as questionable to play in Thursday’s game due to an illness, as we relayed earlier today. However, Murray pushed through and recorded 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 42 minutes of play. After the game, Adelman credited the medical staff for getting him to a point where he could play, per the Denver Gazette’s Vinny Benedetto (Twitter link). “That’s Jamal Murray,” Adelman said. “It’s almost like the worse it is, the better he’s going to be. What a tough-minded man.“
Aaron Gordon appeared to injure his left hamstring late in the game. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), concern about Gordon’s hamstring is “high,” per Adelman, but the team is fortunate to have two days between games to maximize any potential recovery time.
Jokic couldn’t care less about his shooting percentages or protecting his counting stats, as MacMahon writes. “Nobody should care about that at this time of the year,” Jokic said. The MVP candidate is putting up half-court heaves at a high rate this series after making a habit of doing so all season. “Most great shooters care about their stats. Bottom line,” Adelman said. “We’ve seen a lot of examples of guys taking shots just as the clock goes off or making that late pass to not take a bad shot. For Nikola to shoot the percentage he shoots and still shoot those shots — because, hey, there’s a chance it goes in and a chance it wins you the game — just shows how unselfish he is in all ways.“

Nuggets Notes: Rotation, Westbrook, Porter, Murray, Gordon, More

April 26th, 2025 at 8:25am CST by Earnest Marshall

The Nuggets are banged up, but they don’t have much time to adjust as they find themselves facing a 2-1 hole against the Clippers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes, interim coach David Adelman has hinted at rotation changes.

Denver used an eight-man rotation to open the series, with Jalen Pickett playing sparingly as the eighth man. DeAndre Jordan and Julian Strawther have also seen a little action, while Hunter Tyson and Zeke Nnaji have been limited to garbage time and Vlatko Cancar and Dario Saric haven’t played.

Key reserve Russell Westbrook is questionable for Game 4 on Saturday due to left foot inflammation, Durando adds. He exited Game 3 after just nine minutes.

“They checked him out this morning. … So we’ll kind of gauge that as we go,” Adelman said on Friday. “And if Russ plays or doesn’t play, we’re gonna take a look at our rotation. We may play different people. See who can impact the game with how [the Clippers] are guarding and how we’re trying to guard.”

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As we noted on Friday, Michael Porter Jr. was able to play the duration of Game 3 but was clearly struggling through a left shoulder injury he suffered in Game 2. According to DNVR Nuggets (Twitter link), Porter is officially considered questionable to play in Game 4.
The players on the injury report aren’t the only ones hurting. In an appearance on NBA on ESPN (Twitter link), Andscape’s Marc J. Spears said Jamal Murray is working through an injury and that Aaron Gordon told him he could barely jump. “No one’s 100% right now,” Adelman said, per Durando. “Aaron’s not 100%. Nikola [Jokic]’s not 100%. Just like the Clippers. All their guys have ailments at this part of the season. Michael is one of our guys. He’s a mainstay here. If he’s available to play, he will play.”
With their backs seemingly against the wall, Denver will need to get creative in how it attacks Los Angeles, Durando writes in another Denver Post story. “We got embarrassed today,” Adelman said after a 34-point loss in Game 3. “It happens in the playoffs. I’ve been a part of it before. I’ve been a part of the other side of it. The bottom line is, it’s one game.” As Durando writes, the Clippers have multiple lengthy defenders while the Nuggets don’t have many top-caliber shooters, allowing L.A. to at times triple-team Jokic.

Nuggets’ Strawther Out At Least Four Weeks With Sprained Knee

March 4th, 2025 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have ruled out a key reserve for the rest of March, announcing today (via Twitter) that second-year wing Julian Strawther has been diagnosed with a left knee sprain and will be reevaluated in four weeks.

The injury occurred in the third quarter of Sunday’s game in Boston. Strawther caught a pass from Christian Braun at the top of the three-point arc and drove toward the basket, but after he attempted a floater in the lane, he came up limping and fell to the floor in pain (video link).

After averaging just 10.9 minutes per game in 50 appearances off the bench for Denver as a rookie last season, Strawther had emerged as a crucial part of the team’s rotation in 2024/25. He appeared in each of the Nuggets’ first 61 games this season, averaging 9.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 22.1 minutes per night, with a .434/.357/.829 shooting line.

As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post notes (via Twitter), another 2023 draftee – shooting guard Jalen Pickett – may be in line for an increased role while Strawther is unavailable. Pickett has been in and out of the rotation this season and didn’t play at all in the first half on Sunday, but checked in when Strawther went down and played eight minutes in the second half.

Nuggets Notes: Murray, Jokic, Westbrook, Pickett, Strawther

February 13th, 2025 at 12:33pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray made up for being ejected from Monday’s game against Portland by scoring a career-high 55 points in Wednesday’s rematch with the Blazers. Murray exchanged trash talk with Portland on Monday, earning technical fouls in the third and fourth quarters of the game.

“They shouldn’t have done that,” big man Zeke Nnaji said of the Blazers’ trash talk, per ESPN.com. “When he’s mad, there’s no one in the world that can stop him.”

In part due to Murray’s strong play, the Nuggets have now won eight straight games and trail Memphis by just a half-game for the No. 2 seed in the West. Murray shot 20-of-36 from the field, including 7-of-15 from three-point range, in 42 minutes on Wednesday. Denver outscored Portland by 26 points when he was on the court in the 11-point victory.

“It’s just all competitive spirit,” Murray said. “I came ready to play. Especially just being used to the playoffs and playing the same team over and over, and they know your plays and things get chippy and you have to see them again. So, I think just that kind of factor made me ready to go. I was truly prepared today.”

As ESPN’s story notes, Murray’s scoring outburst — the third-highest mark in franchise history — overshadowed Nikola Jokic‘s 25th triple-double of the season. Only Oscar Robertson (28 in 1961/62) and Russell Westbrook (27 in ’16/17) have recorded more triple-doubles before the All-Star break than Jokic has in ’24/25, per ESPN Research.

“Please, let’s never take Nikola’s greatness for granted,” head coach Michael Malone said. “We are witnessing history every single night. I don’t take it for granted. He’s incredible, and I really feel fortunate and blessed to have coached him for 10 years now.”

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Malone told reporters on Wednesday, including Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscriber link), that Westbrook should return to action after the All-Star break. The former league MVP, who is on a two-year, veteran’s minimum deal with Denver, has missed the past seven games with a left hamstring strain. “Everything’s pointing forward to him being able to use this break, use this stretch of games when he’s been out rehabbing, to come out of the break and be active and be available,” Malone said.
After a storied five-year college career, second-year guard Jalen Pickett found himself outside of the Nuggets’ rotation as a rookie in ’23/24 and to open ’24/25. However, he has been been a steady hand of late for the second unit with Westbrook out, according to Durando (subscription required). “I’ve had a rough last year. And you’ve gotta just love that, being able to go through some challenges, find things that you’re good at,” Pickett said. “After such a successful college career, coming here and just basically starting over, it was tough at first. And then I just kind of fell in love with the grind, and just getting back in the gym and seeing where I could take my game.”
Will second-year wing Julian Strawther be part of Denver’s playoff rotation? Durando explores that topic in another subscriber-only story for The Denver Post. “He’s still a young player, and so you see the inconsistencies,” Malone said. “Two games ago, his first start, he’s down on himself, doesn’t play as well as we know he’s capable of playing. Doesn’t make shots. Then he rebounds in his second start. … I think for all young players, you go back to all guys, early stages are up and down. You have to live with those. Obviously, if and when we get to the playoffs, we’ll figure all that out. But he’s an important piece. He’s a guy that we, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, we need him to be aggressive.”

Julian Strawther Replaces Scoot Henderson For Rising Stars

February 12th, 2025 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets guard Julian Strawther will participate in the Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend on Friday, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

According to the league, Strawther is replacing Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson, who won’t be available to take part due to a sprained right ankle.

Henderson suffered that injury on Monday in Denver and has been ruled out for Wednesday’s rematch with the Nuggets. It sounds like he’ll probably miss Thursday’s game vs. the Lakers too before taking the All-Star break to rest that ankle.

Strawther, 22, has emerged as a regular part of Denver’s rotation in his second NBA season, appearing in all 54 of the team’s games and averaging 9.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 22.5 minutes per night. He has posted a shooting line of .435/.362/.827.

Strawther will take Henderson’s spot on the Rising Stars team drafted by former NBA star Mitch Richmond. The seven-player team features the Thompson twins (Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson), as well as Wizards teammates Carlton Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly, among others. The rosters for the event can be viewed here.

The winner of the four-team Rising Stars mini-tournament on Friday will advance to Sunday’s All-Star event and fill out the field for that four-team mini-tournament. The NBA announced on Tuesday (via Twitter) that the winning Rising Stars squad will have a semifinal matchup against Shaquille O’Neal‘s All-Star team, which is headlined by Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry.

Nuggets Trade Talks: Nnaji, Saric, Martin, Yabusele, Watson, Strawther, Braun

February 4th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets are gauging the trade market on Zeke Nnaji and Dario Saric, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reports.

Denver doesn’t appear to be looking for any blockbuster-type moves. Rather, the Nuggets’ front office is seeking to upgrade the bench prior to Thursday’s trade deadline, according to Scotto and The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando.

The Nuggets, Scotto hears, have expressed interest in Hornets wing Cody Martin and Sixers big man Guerschon Yabusele. Martin has one worth a non-guaranteed $8.68MM remaining on his contract after this season, while Yabusele has an expiring minimum-salary deal.

With Denver owing 10 future draft picks to various teams, potential suitors have been inquiring about young rotation players such as Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther, according to Scotto. The Nuggets have even heard from teams wondering if they’d give up Christian Braun, but Denver’s front office has brushed them off.

Nnaji has three more years left on his deal, while Saric possesses a $5.4MM player option on next season’s contract. As Durando notes, the Nuggets are a first apron team and can’t acquire more salary than they send out. The only tradable first-round pick they have is in 2031 but it’s devalued by protections on the 2025, 2027 and 2029 first-rounders they’ve already dealt — due to the seven-year rule, it can’t be pushed back to 2032 if any of those picks fail to convey.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone declared on Monday that forward Michael Porter Jr. won’t be traded. Porter previously came up in reported trade talks regarding Zach LaVine, who was just dealt to Sacramento. Chicago, however, was reluctant to take Nnaji’s contract and there were also internal questions about whether LaVine and Jamal Murray could’ve coexisted effectively on both sides of the ball, Scotto adds.