The Denver Nuggets are moving closer to one of the most anticipated seasons in franchise history.
Let’s continue our three-week series in advance of Media Day on September 29th. With 14 players on the roster and a new mix of players to discuss, it’s important to remember who the Nuggets have, who they don’t have, and what to expect heading into October.
Up next, a check-in on Bruce Brown.
It’s nice, comforting, and familiar for Nuggets fans to think about Bruce Brown returning to the Denver Nuggets for the 2025-26 season. He signed a one-year minimum salary contract to be back in Denver, and had he fought for more money elsewhere, he probably could’ve found a better deal. Brown wanted to be back in Denver though, a comfort spot for him just as much as Nuggets fans.
During the 2022-23 season, Brown experienced a career year along with a Nuggets championship. The versatile guard averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.7 “Stocks” in 28.5 minutes per game, a well-rounded skill set where Denver’s versatility on both ends of the floor was only amplified by Brown. He played equal parts point guard, shooting guard, and small forward throughout the season, and the Nuggets helped mold Brown into a playoff impact player in an epic championship run.
Looking back at the efficiency numbers, Brown was unremarkable in that regard; however, the Nuggets trusted him to operate in so many different ways. He had the ball in his hands, ran dribble hand-offs, set screens for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, guarded the opposing team’s best perimeter players on occasion, mixed it up with bigger opponents, and simply played with confidence across the board. The Nuggets wholeheartedly trusted him to get the job done, and Brown did when it mattered, especially in the playoffs.
After that, Brown went from a starter with the Indiana Pacers (who paid him handsomely in free agency), to a bench combo guard with the Toronto Raptors, to a garbage time season situation with the New Orleans Pelicans on their way to losing 61 games. Brown’s impact waned from team to team as he departed further and further away from how the Nuggets utilized him. It was Brown’s versatility that amplified his impact, but the Pacers played him off-ball next to Tyrese Haliburton, the Raptors struggled to find a role for him, and the Pelicans were a mess.
Coming back to Denver, the role for Brown is pretty clearly defined. He will likely be their sixth man to start the year, reprising the role he played in 2023. While Brown may not average 28 minutes per game again, he’s almost a shoo-in for 24 minutes because of his adaptability around Murray and Jokic. When Murray is off the floor, Brown will serve as Denver’s “point guard” which often means dribbling the ball up the floor and offloading it to Jokic. When Murray returns to the floor and Jokic sits, Brown can slide over to a shooting guard role that’s more defensive minded.
Will everything be identical to the 2022-23 season? No. The Nuggets have Jonas Valanciunas to play through on the second unit instead of DeAndre Jordan and Zeke Nnaji, which may change Brown’s role in some ways. They also have both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Julian Strawther reprising the role played by rookie Christian Braun, meaning Brown may not play as many minutes at shooting guard and small forward this year to afford time for other backcourt options.
But when it comes down to playoff time, Brown is extremely likely to be used similarly to 2023 when he averaged 26.5 minutes per game off the bench, by far the most of the Nuggets reserves. The Nuggets are likely to face teams with elite perimeter scorers like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Luka Doncic, meaning a defensively capable guard with unique offensive skills is essential to solving playoff problems. The Nuggets also simply trust Brown to do what it takes when it matters, whether that’s make a defensive play, a big pass, or a big shot in the clutch.
As long as Brown shows up hungry to get back to work, that level of comfort will be difficult to replicate for any other reserve on the Nuggets roster.