Julian Strawther went from a fringe rotation player in his rookie season to a mandatory option in year two. His total minutes played would’ve tripled year over year had he not sustained an MCL sprain after the All-Star break. The entire season, from every peak to every valley, was as expected for a second-year player tasked with a difficult rotation role.
Let’s review Julian Strawther’s 2024-25 season:
Regular Season Performance
In 65 games played, Strawther averaged 9.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.6 steals in just over 21 minutes per game. Strawther’s shooting efficiency went up across the board his his three-point percentage settling at 34.9% and his True Shooting at 55.9%. Those are pretty solid numbers for a second-year player, especially with how much attention defenses paid to Strawther as one of Denver’s only true floor spacers.
There were games that both excited and infuriated fans. From his last three starting appearances before the All-Star Break that showed how exciting his shotmaking could be to his four fouls in 90 seconds performance vs the Los Angeles Lakers out of the All-Star break, Strawther showed everything. His feel for scoring on and off the ball is tantalizing, but his defense and physicality showed clear weakness throughout the year.
And then, a month long injury suffered in early March removed almost all hope in him making an impact during the playoffs.
Playoff Performance
Strawther didn’t look like he was going to be a factor in the playoffs, playing only garbage time during the first round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. Then, he played briefly during Game 1 vs the Oklahoma City Thunder, signifying some trust he earned behind the scenes as a wing spacing option the Nuggets could trust. He played in every game but the Game 3 OT win of the second round, and while he was still erratic at times, it was the game he helped win with his shotmaking that mattered the most.
Strawther’s Game 6 performance, 15 points off the bench, all in the second half, saved Denver’s season for at least one more game. It was a gutsy performance and showed his ability to space the floor, cut to the rim, hit the floater, and simply look like a trusted playoff performer. He even held up reasonably well defensively.
It wasn’t a massively impactful playoff run for the former 29th overall pick, but that moment is something that this writer will be thinking about for a long time.
Best Game – 15 points off the bench in Game 6 vs Oklahoma City Thunder
Key Quote
“We all know what he’s capable of. He just needs to see the floor, get a rhythm, put some time in…you can see how he can impact the game real quick in a high pressure moment,” shared Jamal Murray after Strawther’s outburst in the Game 6 win to save Denver’s season.
Player Grade: B
This year was more or less what was expected of Strawther in his second season. He was given more time, and he produced better numbers lightly more efficiently than in his rookie season. Some of the defensive issues will continue to plague him for the rest of his career unless he starts working to iron them out now. He will work to become a better athlete over the summer, because he needs to have something to lean on when opposing players try and attack him the same way next year.
But offensively, Strawther has elements of his game that factor in positively at every level. He didn’t quite put it all together, but he showed flashes in enough games to be intriguing.
Contract Situation
Strawther just played the second year of a rookie contract he signed before the 2023-24 season. He has two more seasons left on his deal before he hits restricted free agency in 2027.
What’s Next for Strawther?
As a former 29th overall pick who played just 500 minutes in his rookie year, Strawther became a solid eighth or ninth man for a 50-win team. He’s on his way to possibly becoming more than that, and the question is how much responsibility the Nuggets want him to carry going forward.
The Nuggets have a volume outside shooting problem, and many believe Denver’s best answers are outside the roster. It’s possible that Strawther can ramp up his usage though, and the Nuggets should explore that possibility next year as they hope to transition into a scoring attack that can outpace the top defenses in the NBA. It’s on Strawther to earn that trust though, and the Nuggets will have to see what he can do heading into training camp and preseason.