The NBA season is right around the corner.
After Denver Nuggets Media Day on Monday, fans are growing excited to learn more about what this team is expected to be for the upcoming season. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray seem refreshed and recharged, while Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun reaffirmed their commitment to defense this season.
But it was the new roster players that drew much of the attention on Monday. New faces in new places that are expected to have a major impact heading into the season. Let’s talk about Cam Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr. for the first installment of the 20 Questions preseason series.
Question 1: Who the heck are these new guys?
Nuggets fans, you’re going to like the new players the Nuggets added to the team.
Cam Johnson was the big addition this offseason, acquired in the Michael Porter Jr. trade with the Brooklyn Nets. Most fans that I’ve talked to are assuming Johnson will be a more versatile, more media savvy version of MPJ. That’s true, but the differences run deeper as I discussed last week.
“I think he can help us with so much,” Nikola Jokic shared about Johnson. “His passing is underrated, his cutting is underrated.”
“He’s all-around,” Jamal Murray emphasized. “He can shoot, he can dribble a bit better than I thought he could…I think he’ll be our leading scorer a lot of nights.”
That’s the two leaders for the Nuggets emphasizing different skills for Johnson and how important he can be. Head coach David Adelman expressed the possibility of Johnson being the primary starter to stagger with the bench unit as well. That would be an interesting wrinkle from past years.
From Johnson’s perspective, he’s ready for whatever the Nuggets throw his way based on his experiences in Phoenix and Brooklyn.
Cam Johnson waxing poetic on his role: pic.twitter.com/iYKkNOtZ6s
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) September 29, 2025
“A go-to post-up player. Proven commodity. Incredible offensive rebounder, very underrated dribble handoff guy…We’re going to play through [him]. I have to push the limits of what he can do.”
Having a true backup center with a post game and versatile skill set is a luxury the Nuggets haven’t had since DeMarcus Cousins, and that was short lived for a number of reasons. Valanciunas may be in Denver for a year. He might be here for longer. While he’s in town, the Nuggets are going to rely upon him, which is exactly how it should be.
Next up, Bruce Brown missed Denver. A lot. He shared that he watched almost every Nuggets game over the last two seasons and realized he wanted to be back in Denver as soon as he was traded from Indiana to Toronto.
Brown also shared when he heard that the Nuggets were interested in him, he was already on the way to Denver, getting ready to play some golf at Cherry Creek Country Club.
It’s amazing how relationships can become so ironclad in such a short period of time. Brown has been and will always be a Nugget. He will likely begin the season in a sixth man role, but whatever he does, Nuggets fans will be happy he’s back.
Finally, Tim Hardaway Jr. was probably the newcomer Nuggets fans were least familiar with, but his jovial personality and willingness to engage in questions was nice to hear. He joked that he loved to shoot but also emphasized how important it was to go about things the right way and do what the coaching staff expects him to do.
Sep 29, 2025; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets player Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) and Bruce Brown (11) address the media during media day at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Hardaway should bring a great perspective as a veteran, a player in this league that young Nuggets guards and wings like Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Jalen Pickett, Tamar Bates, and Curtis Jones can appreciate. Every career path is different, and whether Hardaway’s biggest contributions this year are on or off the court, he should be an impactful addition.
So, who are these newbies? Well, they’re the answer the front office and coaching staff are hoping for. The impact will be felt on the court, but also in the moments between games that have grown more obviously negative for the Nuggets in recent years.
Finding a group of veterans that can impact the locker room in a positive way, keep the team moving in the right direction, and staying focused on the task at hand is really, really important. They will help Denver win games, and hopefully they will help Denver win playoff rounds.
Whether they will be the difference in a championship or not? That remains to be seen.