{"id":848256,"date":"2026-10-01T10:06:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T10:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/848256\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T10:06:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T10:06:15","slug":"what-will-nuggets-second-unit-look-like-with-marvin-bagley-at-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/848256\/","title":{"rendered":"What will Nuggets second unit look like with Marvin Bagley at center?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The bread and butter of this Nuggets bench unit doesn\u2019t need to be too complicated, as David Adelman<\/a> sees it.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll push the pace with a pass-first backup point guard and an athletic, rim-running backup center. They\u2019ll send shooters to the corners, a standard spacing arrangement. They\u2019ll play classical pick-and-roll basketball with Marvin Bagley III<\/a> barreling through the paint.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if that doesn\u2019t work,\u201d Adelman said, \u201cwe slow the hell down and get DeMar DeRozan the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

His new-look second unit is starting to take shape this week, albeit with ever-changing variables. The acquisition of Ryan Nembhard<\/a> was finalized a couple of hours after Denver\u2019s second practice of training camp on Wednesday, introducing a new point guard candidate to the proceedings alongside Tyus Jones.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve gotta figure out who fits best around DeMar,\u201d Adelman said before that signing. \u201cIs that a defensive lineup? Is that more offense? Featuring Julian (Strawther)? But DeMar is a safety valve. It\u2019s not just about him making shots. It\u2019s about the fact that he shoots shots and doesn\u2019t turn the ball over. He shoots free throws. \u2026 I like the idea of playing fast to playing slow. Chicago did that with him a little bit with Billy (Donovan). They had a fast, athletic team, and when they didn\u2019t get something easy, it was all about going to (DeRozan).\u201d<\/p>\n

DeRozan\u2019s mid-post game is the known entity. The rest is a work in progress for a team that watched its depth erode this offseason, particularly with the losses of Peyton Watson and Tim Hardaway Jr. For now, an initial version of Denver\u2019s second unit has consisted primarily of Jones, Strawther, DeRozan, Spencer Jones and Bagley. Of course, that doesn\u2019t account for how Adelman will choose to rotate his subs. All-bench lineups are rare, and a key part of the equation will be figuring out which starter \u2014 or starters \u2014 to stagger when Jokic isn\u2019t on the floor.<\/p>\n

The second-year head coach made one thing clear Wednesday: Bagley is going to anchor those minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201c(I see him) as a five right now,\u201d Adelman said when asked about the possibility of Bagley eventually being used as a power forward. \u201cI was really impressed with Spencer as a four last year. I think at the four spot, (Trevon Brazile) is really talented. He\u2019s got a chance. I want to keep him there and get him comfortable with that spot. In a pinch, obviously, (Bagley) can do it. But he\u2019s a traditional five to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

That pretty much lines up with Bagley\u2019s recent experience as a journeyman, though he arrived in Denver ready to handle either position.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can play both,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously, the last few teams I\u2019ve been on, I\u2019ve been the five, playing a lot of five, backup five. But I feel like I can play both. I can shoot the 3. Make quick decisions in the pick-and-roll.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bagley, 27, was visited by members of the Nuggets\u2019 front office this summer in Arizona, where he\u2019s from. He cited conversations with Adelman and Jon Wallace when describing his decision to sign a one-year veteran minimum contract with Denver.<\/p>\n

Now, the goal is to stay put for a full season. Bagley has changed teams mid-season in four of the last five years. Sacramento to Detroit. Detroit to Washington. Washington to Memphis. Washington to Dallas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s always the goal, to be able to have security. But this is what we sign up for,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery year, a lot of things can happen. Things you can\u2019t control happen. But I just try to be in the moment, be present, do what I can in the moment and not worry about the rest. If I get to a place that has that (security), then great. But I\u2019m just enjoying the journey, because it won\u2019t be here for long.\u201d<\/p>\n

One key lesson he\u2019s learned along the way is to not wait until the eve of training camp to show up. He got settled in Denver earlier in the summer, hoping to build relationships with the player development staff and learn how the team operates.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had to do it a few times, man. \u2026 Just getting to where I\u2019m at, getting there earlier (is important). Asking questions,\u201d Bagley said. \u201cNo question is dumb to me. If you don\u2019t know, don\u2019t be afraid to ask. I\u2019m still learning. It\u2019s going into year nine. I don\u2019t know a lot, and I\u2019m OK with that. That\u2019s the only way to get better. So for me, (I want) just to continue to show up every day, learn from my mistakes and learn from the good stuff, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Colorado specifically, the early arrival also helps master the elements.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was great today. I thought yesterday, he looked completely gassed halfway through. And today, his head was on the rim the whole day. We competed a lot today. So it was a lot of running with these guys. \u2026 Marvin has some special skills, and I think for him, he hasn\u2019t played meaningful basketball in a long time. People forget what that means to players. Instead of just trying to survive in your career, you\u2019re actually out here trying to fit into a good team. And I think he\u2019s really enjoying it, playing with Tyus. The second unit is fun. You get rewarded for running hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bagley has overlapped with Jones before, when they were both Wizards \u2014 a dynamic that Adelman thinks should help the big man get acclimated. The question looming over Bagley\u2019s season will be whether he can play well enough to be considered a factor in Denver\u2019s playoff rotation. The former No. 2 overall draft pick has appeared in two playoff games in his career, both for Memphis in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cExciting,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing able to come to a winning situation and being able to learn and get that experience and contribute, I think that\u2019s what I\u2019m looking for in my career right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The bread and butter of this Nuggets bench unit doesn\u2019t need to be too complicated, as David Adelman…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":848257,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3781],"tags":[7,765,2102,250,3213,301,187,3943,766,24313,165,6338,252,6,302,1146,51851,9856,26517,66,759,14704,6279],"class_list":["post-848256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-denver-nuggets","tag-basketball","tag-colorado","tag-contract","tag-david-adelman","tag-demar-derozan","tag-denver","tag-denver-nuggets","tag-denvernuggets","tag-front-range","tag-jon-wallace","tag-latest-headlines","tag-marvin-bagley-iii","tag-more-nuggets-news","tag-nba","tag-nuggets","tag-peyton-watson","tag-running","tag-ryan-nembhard","tag-spencer-jones","tag-sports","tag-tim-hardaway","tag-trevon-brazile","tag-tyus-jones"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/117365098629796358","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=848256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/848257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=848256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=848256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=848256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}