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When the Denver Nuggets went down by a ton in their eventual 125-93 Game 7 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder, they couldn't call upon any weapons from the bench to stem the tide. Russell Westbrook was out of sorts all night long, Peyton Watson couldn't buy a bucket, and Julian Strawther, the Game 6 hero, was firing blanks. And with Nikola Jokic being double-teamed all night long, Jamal Murray unable to pop off for one of his signature playoff heaters, Michael Porter Jr.'s shot being askew, and Aaron Gordon being on one leg, the Nuggets stood no chance at mounting a comeback.
Jokic, however, is looking at the roster-building model that three of the four remaining teams in this year's playoffs — Thunder, Indiana Pacers, and Minnesota Timberwolves — and acknowledged the need for the Nuggets to adapt some of their strategies to avoid fielding the same shallow roster for next season.
“We definitely need [depth]. I think we played so long in such a way that it's hard for other guys to step up against two really good teams in Clippers and OKC. We cannot ask for somebody who didn't play 20-30 games to jump in and be good and expect them to be good. … It seems like the teams that have longer rotations, longer bench, are the ones who are winning. Indiana. OKC. Minnesota,” Jokic said in his postgame presser, via @ohnohedidnt24 on X (formerly Twitter).
Jokic on their depth: "We definitely need it. It seems like the teams that have longer rotations, longer bench, are the ones who are winning. Indiana. OKC. Minnesota" pic.twitter.com/7cJHEZBLM9
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 18, 2025
Outside of Westbrook, Watson, and Strawther, who else could the Nuggets have called upon to help? DeAndre Jordan would have had difficulties covering space in the Thunder's spaced-out offense, Dario Saric is the very definition of washed up, while Jalen Pickett, Hunter Tyson, Vlatko Cancar and Zeke Nnaji, suffice to say, were not deemed to be good enough to log even a few minutes.
How do the Nuggets go about building depth this offseason?
The Nuggets are a resilient bunch that thrive thanks to Jokic's greatness, which could then make them an appealing destination for some free agents. Perhaps a Bruce Brown reunion could be in the cards. Guerschon Yabusele could also be a good get to bolster the team's depth behind Jokic.
Denver could also clear salary if they manage to dump Nnaji and Saric's contract. Maybe they can turn Porter Jr. and his huge contract into multiple contributors. The impending return of 2024 first-round draft pick DaRon Holmes II could be huge for the team as well.
