The Denver Nuggets have had many more questions about the rotation leading into the 2026-27 season than anyone could've expected. For most of the offseason, we expected the Nuggets to roll with a standard nine- or ten-man rotation, with a bench unit of Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther, DeMar DeRozan, Spencer Jones, and Marvin Bagley III.

While that group has not necessarily changed, the Nuggets have some tougher decisions to make than they would've thought. Players like Alpha Diallo, Trevon Brazile, Cam Whitmore, and Bryce Hopkins have each made a case to be included in Denver's rotation, and now the coaching staff has to decide who to play and who to sit.

After practice on Sunday, head coach David Adelman suggested the Nuggets could even change the rotation mid-game for Thursday's season opener, depending on who is performing well.

"I think we're still looking at—are we playing a nine-man rotation [or] ten-man rotation? And then, like I said, kind of a fake 11-man rotation where, if the first half doesn't work out, is there somebody that you say, 'Why don't we change it up and play them in the third quarter for a small amount of minutes but just rotate them in?' I think that's where we're at," Adelman said.

Granted, they still have a few days to hammer down the rotation, but Adelman still seems uncertain about what the plan will be on opening night.

The expected rotation

For opening night in Oklahoma City, if the Nuggets stick with only a ten-man rotation, we can expect the following players on the floor:

With Julian Strawther sidelined and Spencer Jones now expected to suit up, it would be a bit surprising if Adelman strayed too far from this ten-man lineup. We know exactly what the starting five will be, so it ultimately comes down to whether this bench unit works or not.

What could change?

As much as we can look forward to the ten-man rotation above, Adelman could still change things up, as he mentions. The "fake 11-man rotation" he mentions could come into play if he feels the team needs more offense against a defense-heavy Thunder team, if their offense is clicking and they need an extra defender on the floor, or if they need some extra ball-handling available.

Adelman mentions three players who could come into play for this 11-man rotation: Cam Whitmore, Trevon Brazile, and Bryce Hopkins.

"[Trevon Brazile]'s obviously been more of a highlight thing. He's played really well. He's also played the most minutes with the best players. I think Bryce [Hopkins] has shown signs. Cam Whitmore's shown signs. So you can't be scared to throw those guys out there as we're looking for a rotation," Adelman said.

Simply put, the Nuggets' rotation is far from set for opening night. It would be great to see any of the three young guys Adelman mentioned get some run early in the season, especially Brazile or Whitmore, after what they showed in preseason.

If the Nuggets want more of an offensive boost than what Diallo provides, they could turn to Whitmore for a short stretch. If they want more length, athleticism, and defense in the lineup, they could replace Tyus Jones with Brazile, allowing DeRozan to be the primary ball-handler.

While the regular season, especially a big game against the Thunder, can be a tricky time to experiment with lineups, Adelman seems ready to adjust on the fly. We might not know what the Nuggets' rotation looks like until the second week of the season, but it is better to give some of these young standouts some well-deserved opportunities.