Nuggets’ Preseason Schedule Provides Early Test of Rotation and Roster.

The Denver Nuggets will use five preseason games across Colorado, Utah and Southern California to evaluate their roster, test potential rotations and determine which players can make an impact heading into the 2026-27 NBA season. Denver will open preseason play Oct. 4 against the Utah Jazz at the CU Events Center in Boulder. The Nuggets will then travel to Salt Lake City for another matchup with the Jazz on Oct. 6 before returning to Denver for their only preseason game at Ball Arena, where they will face the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 11. The schedule concludes with a Southern California trip. Denver will play the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome on Oct. 14 before finishing preseason against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 16. With the regular season scheduled to begin Oct. 22 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the preseason will give head coach David Adelman an opportunity to make decisions that could shape the opening-night rotation. One of the biggest areas to monitor will be the health and workload of Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon. Both players are expected to have important defensive responsibilities, particularly against opposing teams’ top offensive threats. After injuries affected Denver throughout last season, the Nuggets will need both players operating at full strength if they hope to return to championship contention. The development of the team’s younger forwards could also help ease the pressure on Gordon. Spencer Jones and Zeke Nnaji could receive opportunities to defend larger forwards and provide additional depth. Braun, meanwhile, remains one of Denver’s most experienced perimeter defenders against elite scoring guards. The backup point guard position is another storyline heading into preseason. Jamal Murray is expected to remain Denver’s primary option at point guard, but the Nuggets will have to determine who can effectively handle those minutes when Murray is off the floor. KJ Simpson is the only other natural point guard on the roster, creating an opportunity for Adelman to experiment with different combinations. DeMar DeRozan could also see time handling the ball in non-Murray lineups. Although DeRozan has primarily played on the wing throughout his career, his career assist-to-turnover numbers indicate that he could provide another option as a secondary ball-handler.

Denver’s newcomers will also be under the microscope. Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins impressed at Summer League and will now face a significantly tougher challenge against NBA-caliber competition during training camp and preseason. Their performances could determine whether either player earns a meaningful role when the regular season begins.

Alpha Diallo presents another intriguing case. The 29-year-old has extensive experience playing professionally in Europe but has yet to appear in an NBA game. Strong preseason performances could give him an opportunity to compete for minutes in Denver’s rotation.

Contract situations will add another layer to the competition. Brazile and Diallo are on standard contracts, while Hopkins enters preseason looking to make the jump from a two-way contract to a standard roster spot. The Nuggets do not necessarily need preseason wins to accomplish their goals. Instead, the five-game schedule will give Adelman valuable opportunities to evaluate health, defensive versatility, ball-handling options and the readiness of younger players. By the time Denver travels to Oklahoma City for opening night, the organization will have a much clearer picture of which players can be trusted when the games begin to count.