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 Jalen Pickett.
Expectations for Jalen Pickett heading into last season were in the gutter. After struggling during his rookie season and really struggling during Summer League, Nuggets fans weren’t considering a Pickett breakout among the obvious growth areas for last year’s team. In addition, Russell Westbrook was going to play a significant role, leaving Pickett without a clear path to playing time.
And yet, Pickett played more than anyone expected. He was pretty good too. In 49 games and four starts, Pickett averaged 13.6 minutes, 4.1 points, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 39.6% from three. There were times late in the season when Pickett closed games over Westbrook (Jamal Murray was sidelined with an injury).
From October to January, Pickett played a total of 137 minutes across 18 games. In February, that jumped to 162 minutes in 10 games. Then, 192 minutes in 14 games during March and 176 minutes in seven games during April.
Pickett showed he could be trusted with regular season play time, and the Nuggets played well when he was on the floor. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Nuggets had a +6.0 point differential in over 1,100 regular season possessions with Pickett on the floor. That’s higher than the +4.5 point differential for the entire team. It helped that Pickett lineups with Nikola Jokic were exceptionally good at +16.1 across over 650 possessions, but even the non-Jokic lineups (-7.7 in 480 possessions) weren’t that bad.
When the playoffs came around though, Pickett was disappointing. He played just 57 minutes across eight of Denver’s 14 games with limited impact. The Nuggets guard struggled to avoid turnovers and maintain the efficient play that earned him his minutes. The difference between regular season and playoff basketball, especially against the Oklahoma City Thunder, is exceptional. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a player with 788 career minutes struggled.
Heading into 2025-26, the Nuggets are expecting big things from their starting lineup as well as offseason additions Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas. Add in the ongoing development of wing Julian Strawther and forward Peyton Watson, and it’s difficult to foresee Pickett climbing into the main rotation.
Right now, he slots in as the 13th man behind both rookie DaRon Holmes II and veteran Zeke Nnaji. The two 6’9” power forwards have a cleaner line to playing time than Pickett with Denver’s roster at full strength; however, it’s fair to assume Pickett will get playing time next year. Murray won’t play 82 games, nor should the Nuggets want him to, and Brown will play a lot but isn’t exclusively a backup point guard either. There may be opportunities in smaller lineup configurations for Pickett to shine.
Will Pickett play the 666 regular season minutes he played in 2024-25? Probably not. Denver’s roster is deeper, especially in the backcourt with the Brown and Hardaway Jr. additions. Strawther could also take a step forward, and there will be lineups where one of Strawther, Hardaway, or Christian Braun play point guard next to an upgraded frontcourt rotation.
While that may sound like a slight toward Pickett, it’s not. He showed last season that’s he a playable backup point guard in the regular season when the Nuggets need him to be. That’s more than many expected after a tough first year and second Summer League. Pickett overcoming that shows some backbone, and it may help to gain some separation away from the Michael Malone and Calvin Booth feud that probably affected Pickett more than any Nuggets player on the roster the last couple seasons.
Pickett may not be a dynamic creator, but he’s a stabilizing force the Nuggets can rely upon in the near future. He will help Denver win games if they need him. The Nuggets should absolutely look to deploy his skill set in a smart way next season. It’s players like Pickett that can turn a good regular season into a great regular season.
For now, expect a limited role for Pickett with potential for more in the future.
