The Denver Nuggets just added one of the most accomplished scorers available, and DeMar DeRozan‘s arrival gives head coach David Adelman an immediate decision to make with his starting lineup.
DeRozan has agreed to sign a one-year, $3.9 million deal with Denver, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on August 21. The six-time All-Star averaged 18.4 points, 4.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds for the Sacramento Kings last season.
If Adelman wants his five best offensive players on the floor from the opening tip, an early projection would look like this:
PG: Jamal Murray
SG: DeMar DeRozan
SF: Cameron Johnson
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokić
That would push Christian Braun to the bench despite his established role alongside Denver’s core. And that is where the lineup decision gets considerably more interesting than simply inserting DeRozan because of his résumé.
(via @ShamsCharania)
DeMar DeRozan Could Replace Christian Braun in Nuggets Starting 5
Denver’s four easiest starting decisions are Murray, Johnson, Gordon and Jokić.
The fifth spot is where DeRozan’s signing creates a legitimate debate.
Braun was part of Denver’s most frequently used starting lineup last season alongside those four players. That group started 23 games together and went 18-5, according to Basketball Reference.
DeRozan, however, still brings a level of individual shot creation Denver does not otherwise have outside of Jokić and Murray. He started all 77 of his appearances for Sacramento last season while shooting 49.7% from the field and averaging 4.1 assists.
A Murray-DeRozan backcourt would give Denver two players capable of generating offense late in the shot clock, while Jokić would remain the hub of everything.
Johnson would be especially important in that configuration. He shot 43.0% from three last season, giving Denver a high-level floor spacer alongside three players who do much of their damage inside the arc.
DeRozan made just 32.0% of his three-point attempts last season. Playing him with Gordon and Jokić would therefore put a premium on Johnson and Murray stretching the defense.
Nuggets Have Strong Case for Bringing DeRozan Off Bench
There is another possibility that may ultimately make more basketball sense: Denver doesn’t change its starting lineup at all.
Braun gives the Nuggets something DeRozan cannot replace as easily — a younger, more athletic perimeter defender who does not need the ball to affect the game. Removing him from a starting unit already built around Murray and Jokić could make Denver more vulnerable defensively.
DeRozan could instead solve one of the roster’s other obvious problems.
The Nuggets lost Peyton Watson in the August sign-and-trade that sent him to the Cleveland Cavaliers for an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-round pick. Watson averaged 14.6 points last season, and his departure further thinned Denver’s wing rotation.
DeRozan would give Adelman a proven scorer capable of anchoring bench-heavy stretches rather than asking one of Denver’s younger reserves to manufacture offense.
That role might also allow Adelman to stagger DeRozan with Jokić and Murray, ensuring that at least one established creator is on the floor virtually all night.
There is no indication yet that Adelman has settled on DeRozan’s role, so projecting him as a starter remains exactly that — a projection.
But if Denver decides to start its five most accomplished offensive players, Murray, DeRozan, Johnson, Gordon and Jokić is the obvious combination to test.
If the Nuggets instead decide that fit matters more than résumé, Braun could keep his spot while DeRozan becomes perhaps one of the NBA’s most accomplished sixth men.
Either way, Denver suddenly has a much more interesting decision to make before opening the 2026-27 season.
Denver Nuggets Projected Starting Lineup After DeMar DeRozan News