On the next installment of our 20 Questions Series heading into the 2025-26 season, it’s time to talk about the power forward position.
Question 4: Why is the Power Forward position so important, Ryan?
This year, the Denver Nuggets added reinforcements at four different positions.
At point guard, Bruce Brown will be reprising the role he played late in the 2022-23 season. At shooting guard, Tim Hardaway Jr. adds another layer of shooting and veteran leadership. At small forward, Cam Johnson replaces Michael Porter Jr. in a healthy, more balanced manner. At center, Jonas Valanciunas gives the Nuggets stability in the non Nikola Jokic minutes for the first time in a while.
At power forward? Some question marks.
Aaron Gordon is, of course, the starter. He’s been the default starter for the last four years and change, providing the stability on both ends of the floor that the Nuggets always hoped he could. Last season was the first when that appeared shaky, and only due to soft tissue injuries that plagued his entire year. And then, the year ended with fantastic shotmaking and perfect roleplaying in the playoffs…until another injury ruined the fun.
Behind Gordon is a litany of solutions, all of which are imperfect. But together? I think Denver can find a balance of skill sets and roles that can turn the position into a strength.
The primary backup for Gordon this season will be Peyton Watson, and rightfully so. Watson averaged over 24 minutes per game last season and finished top 20 in regular season blocks for the second straight year. His athleticism, rim protection, and overall intuition on the defensive end make him a valuable member of the Nuggets’ offensive-focused rotation. Watson is a pillar of sorts for Denver that many lineups need to survive, even if his individual contributions haven’t always sparkled offensively.
‘24-25 Peyton Watson blocking jump shots pic.twitter.com/tiZ7VpnhGq
— Hoops4Fun (@hoops4_fun) August 26, 2025
I think Watson is underrated by a large swath of Nuggets fans. In just three years, Watson went from a complete project player that played only garbage time, to a rotation option in the regular season, to a rotation option in the playoffs. There are still aspects of his game that need to improve, but by all accounts, he has spent the time and effort improving them.
“Peyton Watson‘s been really clean with the ball. He’s handled the ball a lot with that second unit,” David Adelman shared praising Watson for his work in training camp.”
Aaron Gordon said Watson’s “moving different” this year. “Shotmaking ability. Pace of the game. Picking his spots. Doing it on both ends.”
While Watson might technically be undersized for a power forward, he has the skill set the Nuggets need. Denver will need some help on the glass, but simply being able to deploy Watson from that spot gives them a high impact defensive option with an improving offensive game. He’s going to play, and it’s probably going to be as a power forward most of the time.
After Watson, the Nuggets have some choices to make. Zeke Nnaji and DaRon Holmes II are likely next in line. Both provide similar skill sets at power forward at 6’9″, more traditional size than Watson but less dynamic ability on the perimeter. Today’s game is all about keeping up on the perimeter on both sides of the ball. Watson’s ball handling helps him do that while Nnaji and Holmes are more so modern bigs. They’re going to play at times, but not as often as Watson. Holmes will often likely spend some time as the emergency center when Jokic of Jonas Valanciunas miss time.
Nuggets fans would surely like to see Holmes play as much as possible this year. He’s a more traditional option than Watson, allowing the Nuggets to play with size. After missing a full season due to injury, everyone’s itching to see what Holmes can do. There will be matchups when the Nuggets feel the need to play big, and as a result, Holmes (or Nnaji) will bump Watson to small forward, removing one of Julian Strawther or Tim Hardaway Jr. rom the rotation.
In addition, there will also be small ball lineups that feature Cam Johnson at power forward, truly spacing the floor as much as possible around a traditional center. Johnson is big enough to match up with the more stretchy forwards at the power forward spot like Chet Holmgren or Kevin Durant, less so the bruisers like Julius Randle or LeBron James.
Finally, don’t sleep on two-way contract Spencer Jones, entering his second year. The Nuggets like what he provides as a 3&D option, and at his size and strength, he can match up with the same players Aaron Gordon matches up with most often. Whether his offense is good enough or not remains to be seen, but the defensive fit is solid.
Overall, the Nuggets have optionality at power forward. It behooves them to utilize it and play the matchup game against opposing teams. Aaron Gordon’s extremely important for almost every matchup, but the Nuggets cannot overtax him. He’s entering his 12th season, and injuries remain a concern. Starting Peyton Watson in his place at times will be just fine, and if the Nuggets need more size, they know where to look.