The Denver Nuggets this year are hard to figure out. Are they true contenders? Are they hanging on to that third spot in the West for dear life? There are so many questions.
The Fast Start 
Jan 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) takes a shot during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
The Nuggets began the season shot out of a canon. In their first 12 games, they went 10-2, with two of their losses being combined by eight points. In other words, they could have easily been 12-0.
The Denver offense was humming as they were the best in the league in that period. Aaron Gordon was playing out of this world. He began the year off with a 50-point game in Golden State and continued his upward trend in shooting from last year.
Stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were doing their thing, being arguably the best 1-2 punch in the league. Cam Johnson had some early struggles shooting-wise, but he and Christian Braun did a good job defensively on the perimeter.
In that 12-game stretch, the Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves twice. This was a team that given Denver nightmares since that 2024 series that went seven. Before that first win, Minnesota had beaten the Nuggets six straight times includng a 4-0 sweep in the 2024 season.
It was so clearly evident that the 2025-2026 Nuggets were clearly better than they were a year ago. A big reason for that is the bench with acquisitions such as Tim Hardaway Jr, Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valanciunas. The bench unit was no longer a weakness. They are middle of the pack with 35 points per game.
The bench scoring ranks 19th in the league, which isn’t gaudy but can be worked with. This is also a huge improvement from the season prior, when the Nuggets were ranked 27th in that department.
Denver sustained some injuries along the way early, but it didn’t seem to be a big deal. Following their Christmas Day victory over the Timberwolves, they sat at 22-8, which was the best start in franchise history. Not only that, but that was their third straight win over Minnesota.
Things were looking good until it wasn’t.
Injury Wack-A-Mole 
Feb 9, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and center Jarrett Allen (31) defend the final shot by Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the fourth quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The injury bug has hit this team hard all year long. It began with the loss of Braun in game 11 against the Los Angeles Clippers due to an ankle injury. A few weeks later, Gordon was lost in a game against the Houston Rockets as he pulled his hamstring.
These injuries sucked, but there was nothing the Nuggets could overcome. During the game right before Christmas, though, Cam Johnson injured his right knee. Just like that, three of the five starters were down.
No need to panic, however, because Jokic and Murray are healthy and playing well. As long as they are at the top of their game, Denver can still hold on till the rest of the team recovers. The Christmas victory was a perfect example of that.
Two days later, though, Jokic gets injured. Spencer Jones accidentally fell on his knee, and he hyperextended it. It looked a lot worse than it did, and all of Nuggets nation was relieved when his timeline was only missing a month.
That left Murray as the only starter. Yup, Denver was probably going to free-fall while Jokic is out, right? Well, not quite, thanks to the blue arrow stepping up and the sudden emergence of Peyton Watson.
All of a sudden, the much-improved bench and Murray came to the rescue. The Blue and Gold went 10-6 in the 16 games without the Joker. Suddenly, what went from a dire situation turned into straight optimism.
Just imagine if this team were healthy! Jokic made his return at the end of January against a red-hot Clippers team and put up 31 and 12 on 13/17 shooting. Denver sat at 33-16 and stood firm at the third seed.
The Nuggets then went on the same weird losing streak. The first loss was to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is no shame, but they didn’t look competitive at all for most of it. That wasn’t a good sign. To make things worse, Watson injured a hamstring and will be out for several weeks.
Back-to-back losses in the clutch to the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons on the road followed. Yes, these are good teams, but if Denver is elite, they have to win one. They then won a back-and-forth game against a middling Chicago Bulls team.
The game after, the Nuggets lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers by two at home. This loss felt weird. They can’t win games in the clutch and seemed to take a step back when Joker returned.
What’s going on?
End Of My Denver Nuggets Rant 
Feb 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) comes on for center Jonas Valanciunas (17) in the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
This Nuggets team looked like a juggernaut early in the season, and now they feel like a team holding on, even with Joker back. What this team needs more than anything is rest.
Get Gordon and Watson back to 100%. Do so even if it means dropping to the fifth or sixth seed. A healthy Nuggets team is the priority over home court.
A silver lining to this weird season, though, has been not only the emergence of Watson, but also Julian Strawther. In February, he averaged 14.1 points per game off the bench. That will definitely work for this team own the stretch.
The biggest question is, will we see this team whole again? If so, can they build a little bit of chemistry before the playoffs?