Mark Kiszla, sports columnist:
Peyton Watson
Well, that escalated quickly. Only a week into this NBA season, a new serious challenger has emerged to Nikola Jokic’s MVP quest and the Nuggets’ standing as the primary threat to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference.
We all strongly suspected Victor Wembanyama was going to grow into a legit MVP candidate one of the years. But at age 21, he looks ready now. And that could make San Antonio, not Houston, as the most troublesome rival Denver must elbow past to be no worse than No. 2 seed in the West.
While the additions of Cam Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. were cool, my way-too-early analysis is they might not be enough for the Nuggets to finish ahead of the Spurs in the standings, much less unseat the Thunder as champions.
Johnson is still getting comfortable finding his role in the starting lineup. Valanciunas appears destined to be limited to 15 minutes per game unless Joker finds foul trouble. We all love Brucey B, but he’s not quite the player who left Denver in 2023. Hardaway, however, has been even better than advertised and already appears to have solidified himself as the sixth man in coach David Adelman’s rotation.
But I also think there’s an X factor that could transform the Denver bench from solidly competent to a real burr under OKC’s saddle.
From the minute he arrived in Colorado as a raw teenager, there was something about Watson’s game that shouted: Watch out!
I admit to losing patience with his development. And before his dismissal, I think maybe coach Michael Malone did, as well.
It’s early. Very early in this NBA season. But getting 20 minutes per game, Watson is showing signs of becoming a truly impactful 3-and-D player that could be invaluable all season long and all the way through June.
Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas responds to questions during an NBA basketball media day news conference Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Vinny Benedetto, Nuggets writer
Answer: Jonas Valanciunas
It’s only been four games, but the years spent searching for a serviceable back up center seem like a distant memory.
Jonas Valanciunas’s presence has finally positioned Denver’s second unit for success. It’s not just the 6-foot-11, 265-pound frame that punishes opponents inside. It’s the screening that gives Jamal Murray, Bruce Brown, Peyton Watson or whoever else is on the ball space to operate. It’s the presence on the rim that allows perimeter defenders to take calculated gambles. It’s the ability to run some of the same sets that Nikola Jokic runs with the starters. Though it hasn’t been displayed much yet, Valanciunas also gives the Nuggets the ability to play two bigs at the same time when the matchup is right.
Valanciunas has been so good in his role that Nuggets coach David Adelman thought he gave Jokic too long of a rest in the first half of Wednesday’s win over the Pelicans. Imagine that being the case in the last few years. Adelman thought Jokic looked stiff after sitting for the first eight-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter, but he had good reason to do so. The Nuggets won Valanciunas’s stretch to start the second quarter by nine points.
There were rightfully questions about Valanciunas’s level of buy-in over the summer. There were reports out of Europe that he hoped to get out of his NBA contract to sign with a Greek club. The Nuggets never intended to allow that to happen. Valanciunas didn’t have much to say on the matter at media day, but he’s said all the right things since, maintaining he’s willing to accept any role as long as the team is winning. Adelman said Valanciunas has been a positive presence off the court after Wednesday’s game. Jamal Murray called him a “big, jolly guy” in the postgame locker room.
The days of consistently worrying about the non-Jokic minutes are over.