The roster is still taking shape, but the Nuggets have most of their Summer League schedule.
Denver’s boys of summer will play at least five games in Las Vegas, the first of which comes against Milwaukee on July 10. The Nuggets will then play the Timberwolves, Raptors and Clippers before a fifth game against a to-be-determined opponent.Â
One player who will not be with the Nuggets at Summer League is last season’s G League Rookie of the Year, Trey Alexander. The Denver Gazette reported Friday afternoon that Alexander will not return for a second season with the organization. He appeared in 24 games for the Nuggets and averaged 25.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.7 steals with Grand Rapids Gold while on a two-way contract. It’s still possible PJ Hall and Spencer Jones, Denver’s other two-way players last season, will rejoin the team for Summer League.
Denver Nuggets’ new front office turns attention to free agency after quiet NBA Draft
Assistant Andrew Munson will serve as the Summer League coach for a second consecutive year, The Denver Gazette reported Friday.
Roster
DaRon Holmes II
Homes is headed back to Las Vegas after a brutal experience last year.
Denver’s 2024 first-round pick tore the Achilles tendon in his right leg in Denver’s first game last summer. The injury forced the 22-year-old to miss all of last season.
In his third and final season at Dayton, Holmes averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, while shooting 54.4% from the field and 38.6% from 3-point range. At 6-foot-10, the Nuggets believe Holmes can play power forward or center in the NBA.
While Holmes is the only member of last year’s 15-man roster confirmed to be on the Summer League roster, it’s possible other players like Hunter Tyson, Jalen Pickett and Julian Strawther also participate.
Three winners, three losers from the first round of the NBA draft
Tamar Bates
One of Denver’s two-way spots for next season is already occupied.
Your daily report on everything sports in Colorado – covering the Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and columns from Woody Paige and Paul Klee.
Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.
The Nuggets didn’t waste much time after the draft ended Thursday to reach an agreement with Bates as an undrafted free agent. The 22-year-old just finished a four-year college career that started with a couple of seasons at Indiana and ended at Missouri. He averaged 13.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals as a senior. He shot a career-best 39.7% from 3-point range last season.
The 6-foot-5 wing has 3-and-D potential, one of the more valued skillsets in the modern NBA. After Summer League, he’ll spend his rookie season split between Denver and Grand Rapids, Mich., home of the Nuggets’ G League affiliate.
Bates is a native of Kansas City, Kan.
How the second apron got Josh Kroenke to present unfathomable Nikola Jokic trade | Vinny’s take
Curtis Jones
The 23-year-old will be among the players in Las Vegas hoping to earn a larger role with the Nuggets or another NBA team.
Jones agreed to join Denver’s summer squad later Thursday night. He’s another quality shooter who finished his college career by shooting 37.4% from deep for the Cyclones. After one season at a junior college, Jones spent his first two Division I seasons at Buffalo and transferred to Iowa State after averaging 15 points and 4.8 rebounds as a sophomore for the Bulls. He closed his college career by posting 17.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game for an Iowa State team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tourament.
The 6-foot-4 guard grew up in Minneapolis.
The five best and worst draft picks in Denver Nuggets’ modern NBA Draft history
Schedule
July 10: Nuggets vs. Bucks, 7:30 p.m., NBA TV
July 12: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, 8 p.m., NBA TV
July 15: Nuggets vs. Raptors, 6 p.m., ESPN3/ESPN+
July 17: Nuggets vs. Clippers, 9 p.m., ESPN2