The Denver Nuggets entered the 2025-26 season with a fresh start, a revamped roster, and high hopes. After a disappointing playoff exit last year, the organization made bold moves: a new head coach in David Adelman, a new head of basketball operations, and a completely rebuilt bench. But despite all that promise, the result felt painfully familiar.

Denver fell short of championship contention once again, bowing out to a banged-up Timberwolves squad in six games during the first round. For a team that believed it was built for a deeper run, that early exit stings even more than in recent seasons.

General manager Calvin Booth surrounded Nikola Jokić and the core with serious reinforcements this offseason. Bruce Brown returned to bring energy and two-way versatility. Tim Hardaway Jr. added shooting off the wing. Jonas Valančiūnas gave the frontcourt more muscle. And in a major shakeup, Michael Porter Jr. was traded for Cameron Johnson—a move designed to create more spacing and secondary scoring. The regular season finished strong, but the ultimate goal remained out of reach.

So what comes next for a team that feels stuck in neutral?

The Depth Question Has Changed

A year ago, the Nuggets' biggest problem was clear: they didn't have enough reliable players around Jokić. That issue was addressed head-on this past summer. But now the plot has thickened. The roster is deeper, the coaching staff is new, and still, the result was the same—or arguably worse. That makes the path forward much more complicated.

Injuries certainly played a role. Cameron Johnson, Peyton Watson, Christian Braun, and Aaron Gordon all missed at least 28 games during the regular season. Gordon fought through pain in the playoffs, and Watson never made it back to the court. The front office could take a "run it back" approach, hoping that better health alone changes the outcome.

The Defense Dilemma

But there's a bigger, more persistent issue: Denver's defense. For the second straight season, the Nuggets finished in the bottom 10 in defensive rating. That's a glaring weakness for a team with championship aspirations, especially when your best player—Nikola Jokić—is the offensive engine. The question now is whether the current roster can be tweaked to fix that, or if bigger changes are needed.

With Jokić still playing at an MVP level, the window in Denver is wide open. But the clock is ticking. The Nuggets have to decide whether the pieces around their superstar are the right ones—or if this summer will bring another round of tough decisions. Either way, the Mile High City will be watching closely.