Denver Nuggets season preview: Opening schedule, win projection and everything to know for 2026-27

The 2026-27 NBA season is here! Check out our team previews, including power rankings, best- and worst-case scenarios, and fantasy advice.

East:Atlanta Hawks • Boston Celtics • Brooklyn Nets • Charlotte Hornets • Chicago Bulls • Cleveland Cavaliers • Detroit Pistons • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • Milwaukee Bucks • New York Knicks • Orlando Magic • Philadelphia 76ers • Toronto Raptors • Washington Wizards

West:Dallas Mavericks • Denver Nuggets • Golden State Warriors • Houston Rockets • LA Clippers • Los Angeles Lakers • Memphis Grizzlies • Minnesota Timberwolves • New Orleans Pelicans • Oklahoma City Thunder • Phoenix Suns • Portland Trail Blazers • Sacramento Kings • San Antonio Spurs • Utah Jazz

Record: 54-28 (3rd in the West, lost 4-2 in first round to Timberwolves)

Draft: Trevon Brazile (No. 35), Bryce Hopkins (No. 49)

Signings: Marvin Bagley III (1 year, $3.5 million), Tyus Jones (1 year, $3.9 million), Alpha Diallo (1 year, $1.4 million), Spencer Jones (re-signed for 2 years, $12 million), DeMar DeRozan (1 year, $3.9 million veteran minimum)

Key departures:Tim Hardaway Jr. (signed with Heat), Jonas Valančiūnas (signed with Zalgiris Kaunas)

Current roster

What's exciting: The Nuggets won 54 games with Nikola Jokić appearing in 65 games, Cam Johnson in 54 games, Christian Braun in 44 games, and Aaron Gordon in 36 games. What happens if those four and Jamal Murray actually stay healthy? Murray became an All-Star for the first time and Jokić was having another MVP-caliber season before he got injured. There is a lot of doubt over the summer the Nuggets had. But the idea of what this team can be when healthy would be enough for me as a Nuggets fan to believe we can prove the whole league wrong.

What's concerning: The options behind Jokić are again pretty lackluster. The Nuggets are really comfortable with Bagley, Brazile, DaRon Holmes, and Zeke Nnaji? Really? Over the past five regular seasons combined, the Nuggets were 18.3 points per 100 possessions worse with Jokić off the floor, per DataBallr. That number will probably not be any better this year either. — Kevin O'Connor 

Preseason Power Rankings: How all 30 teams stack up ahead of 2026-27

DeMar DeRozan is the sixth man, his first bench role since his rookie year. I'm not interested in him for fantasy, and I'm not interested in Christian Braun or Cam Johnson either. It's Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray or nothing. Honestly, the most interesting Denver question is whether anyone outside the top two cracks the top 150 — maybe Aaron Gordon? — Dan Titus

Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Basketball league for the 2026-27 NBA season

Opening week: 10/22 at Thunder, 10/24 vs. Pelicans

Complete schedule

48.5 — win total

+900 to win division

+2500 to win NBA Finals

BEST CASE: No. 1 seed

Despite the injuries they suffered, the Nuggets still managed to post a top-three offensive rating in NBA history, per Cleaning the Glass. The Jokić-Murray duo guarantees an incredibly high floor. If the Nuggets are actually solid in the non-Jokić minutes this year and take a step forward defensively, it's not hard to map out a pathway to winning 60+ games.

WORST CASE: Play-In Tournament

There are obvious injury concerns to point to, most notably with Gordon as an important, impactful glue piece on both ends of the floor. To the on-court product, if the bench underwhelms and the defense is once-again rudderless, they're going to struggle to lock up a top-six seed. — Nekias Duncan

Read the full Northwest Division preview