Alpha Diallo plans to make some physical introductions this season.
The 29-year-old Nuggets rookie used the first two preseason games of his NBA career against the Jazz to establish himself as a capable defender, but he embraced the idea of being a relative unknown in NBA circles after starting his professional career abroad.
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“Whoever I’m assigned to guard at that time, if they don’t know who I am, then hopefully they’ll find out real soon,” Diallo said after Friday’s practice at Ball Arena.
Julian Strawther got to know his new teammate’s game over the summer. There were plenty of one-on-one matchups in the Nuggets’ practice gym, and Diallo made a strong first impression.
“It’s been super fun. We get to push each other,” Strawther said. “For me being a scorer and being able to play against a guy that’s that physical and handsy and just that good defensively and then for him to come in and see the offensive guys in the league and how guys in the league are trying to create fouls and advantages… It’s been real good to battle. It’s been iron sharpens iron.”
Utah Jazz guard Darryn Peterson (22) looks to drive to the basket during defended by Denver Nuggets forward Alpha Diallo (11) the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)
Diallo forced an 8-second violation in his first minutes of NBA basketball and continued to hound ballhandlers the length of the court. That’s an ability the Nuggets have lacked in previous seasons, but that’s far from the extent of Diallo’s defensive offerings. Nuggets coach David Adelman believes he can use the 6-foot-7 wing in other ways, including physically fronting opposing bigs, like other teams have guarded Nikola Jokic in previous seasons.
“What teams are trying to do to Nikola — aggressive, get into somebody’s knees, front him — it allows the back side of your defense to come help. I absolutely think he can do that. The other things with Alpha, Aaron did it the other night. … Shedding screens in NBA is such a big deal, because you can keep your matchups and you don’t get victimized by switching. … Alpha can do that. You can say, ‘stay with your matchup,’ and he’ll do it,” Adelman said Thursday.
“That’s what the league is. If you can do that, your defense is going to be a lot better.”
What Diallo brings to the offense remains to be seen. He missed both shots from the field in the preseason opener but knocked down a pair of free throws in Boulder. A couple of nights later in Salt Lake City, Diallo made all three of his shots from the field, including a couple of 3-pointers, but missed all four of his free throws. The shooting is a bonus, but the Nuggets will ask him to operate in the dunker spot where guys like Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Bruce Brown have gotten easy buckets in previous seasons.
“He’s got to get used to playing in the dunker a little bit. He made a couple of corner 3s, which is great, but if he’s out there and it’s Cam Johnson and … all of our main guys, he’s going to have to play the dunker sometimes, especially if Aaron’s not in the game,” Adelman said Friday.
“That’s part of who we are. We post up guys, and that’s our spacing. That’s something he’ll work on through the preseason and get used to. It’s not about impacting as a dunker as far as a scorer. It’s just the proper spacing behind the post up.”
After earning All-Big East honors in his final two seasons at Providence, Diallo’s professional basketball journey started in Greece with Lavrio. Then, he spent five seasons with AS Monaco in France where he won domestic championships and won the EuroLeague’s Best Defender award last season before deciding to see how his defensive chops measure up in the NBA. Between the weight and film rooms, Diallo’s hoping to be ready to introduce himself to some of the NBA’s elite scorers.
“It’s a lot of weight room, a lot of strength and conditioning. We’ve got a great staff here, and they help keep my body ready and able to slide my feet, guard bigger guys and guard smaller and faster guys as well. It all translates from the weight room to the court,” Diallo said.
“I’m still learning. We’ve had two preseason games, but I’m in here every day watching film as well on some of the plays we’ve went through and some of the plays we haven’t even gone through yet. I’m just trying to get a step ahead.”