- Jamal Murray has his “swagger” back, according to Nuggets coach Michael Malone, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes. Murray spent last season rehabbing from a knee injury. “He looks really good,” Malone said. “The thing I look for, obviously, is how confident is he? He’s out there playing. I don’t see him thinking about anything. He’s just playing the game.”
- Fresh off signing a super-max extension, Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic says he hopes to play his entire career with the organization, Mike Singer of the Denver Post tweets. “That’s the goal,” Jokic said.
- The Nuggets finished last season ranked No. 15 in team defense. Coach Michael Malone wants to see dramatic improvement, Singer relays in another tweet. “Our goal this year is to be a top-five defense,” he said.
- Bruce Brown left the Nets and signed a two-year contract with the Nuggets in free agency. Malone has big plans for him, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets. “I don’t think people understand the importance that Bruce Brown is going to bring to this team,” he said.
The Nuggets have filled their 20-man roster by signing undrafted rookie forward Grant Golden to an Exhibit 10 contract, a source tells Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link).
Golden, who spent his entire college career at Richmond, averaged 13.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.9 APG on .506/.280/.706 shooting in 37 games (27.6 MPG) as a “super senior” in 2021/22. After going undrafted, the 6’10” forward played for the Hawks’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, logging limited minutes in four appearances.
Golden will take the spot on the Nuggets’ roster that opened up when the team waived Justin Tillman. It’s unclear whether he’ll be a full participant in training camp or whether his time under contract in Denver will be more short-lived.
Signing Golden to an Exhibit 10 contract ensures that the Nuggets will have his G League rights and means he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and subsequently spends at least 60 days with Denver’s NBAGL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.
As expected, the Nuggets have waived forward Justin Tillman, per NBA.com’s official transaction log.
The move had been anticipated after Denver recently announced a training camp roster that didn’t include Tillman. As we relayed on Friday, the 26-year-old is expected to play for the Grand Rapids Gold – the Nuggets’ G League affiliate – this season after signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the club earlier this offseason.
A former VCU standout, Tillman has yet to make his NBA regular season debut, but has seen action in a number of leagues around the world since going undrafted in 2018. He has spent time in Korea, Israel, Italy, Turkey, and Puerto Rico, as well as in the G League.
Tillman was a member of the All-NBAGL First Team in 2021/22, averaging an impressive 23.5 PPG and 11.8 RPG in 28 games (35.3 MPG) for the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s affiliate. Grand Rapids acquired Tillman’s returning NBAGL rights from College Park in an August trade.
The Nuggets now have 19 players officially under contract.
- Mike Singer of the Denver Post examines five storylines for the Nuggets entering training camp. Denver has a legitimate championship contender on paper, but the team must stay healthy and prove it can work together down the stretch. Unsurprisingly, the first storyline Singer looks at is the health of Jamal Murray, who suffered a torn ACL in 2021.
- Justin Tillman is not on the Nuggets‘ training camp roster but is still expected to play for their G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, our JD Shaw reports (via Twitter). Tillman, who is still signed to an Exhibit 10 deal, will likely be waived and replaced by another Exhibit 10 player within the next few days, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link). Tillman spent last season in the G League with the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s affiliate.
Versatile role player Bruce Brown is getting comfortable ahead of his first season with the Nuggets, writes Ethan Fuller of Basketball News. The swingman signed a two-year, $13.2MM deal with Denver as a free agent this summer.
“[Knowing my role] was huge, because you don’t want to go to a team where it just won’t work, right?” Brown told Fuller. “So I knew coming to Denver — the way they play, it’s a lot of cuts, slips [and] corner threes. And then, they got a lot of guys who know how to play the game of basketball, so the game would be a lot easier.”
Brown hopes to thrive alongside 2021 and 2022 MVP Nikola Jokic, one of the game’s best passers.
“I feel like I’m one of the best cutters in the league,” Brown said. “So I can find open spots. make the game easier for him, knock down corner threes [and] just take some pressure off.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- The assistant coaches under newly-named Grand Rapids Gold head coach Andre Miller have been announced, per a Nuggets press statement. Denver’s G League affiliate has upgraded Nate Babcock, an assistant coach under Jason Terry in 2021/22, to the role of associate head coach. The team is also adding two new assistants, Jeff Trepagnier and James Fraschilla, to its bench.
- In a new Timberwolves reader mailbag, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic discusses Minnesota’s jumbo-sized All-Star frontcourt tandem of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, the health of Anthony Edwards‘s knee, head coach Chris Finch, and more.
- Head of basketball operations Sam Presti addressed a variety of hot Thunder topics during a preseason press conference on Thursday, writes Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman. Presti spoke about the timeline for star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he recovers from a left MCL sprain, the team’s decision to sign swingman Luguentz Dort to a lucrative contract extension this summer, his thoughts on draft-and-stash guard Vasilije Micic, and more.
SEPTEMBER 22: The Nuggets have officially announced the hiring of Miller in a press release.
AUGUST 31: Former NBA point guard Andre Miller is finalizing a contract with the Nuggets to become the new head coach of their G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
As Wojnarowski notes, Miller will replace another former NBA player, Jason Terry, as the Gold’s head coach. Terry is reportedly joining the Jazz as an assistant coach.
A 17-year NBA veteran, Miller played parts of seven seasons with the Nuggets. He ranks 12th on the list of all-time assists leaders, per Basketball-Reference, and last played in 2015/16 with the Spurs.
Miller, 46, led the league in assists (10.9 APG) back in ’01/02 with the Cavaliers. In 1304 regular season games (30.9 MPG), he averaged 12.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.5 APG and 1.2 SPG while shooting 46.1% from the floor and 80.7% from the line (his range didn’t extend to the three-point line, as he averaged less than one attempt per night and shot just 21.7% from deep).
- Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman has agreed to a two-year extension, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Adelman is Michael Malone’s lead assistant and served as acting head coach when Malone had COVID last season. He has spent the past five seasons in Denver.
The 2022/23 NBA regular season will tip off next month, so we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.
With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites – including Bovada, BetOnline, and Betway – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.
In 2021/22, our voters went 16-14 on their over/under picks. Can you top that in ’22/23?
We’ll wrap up our series today with the Northwest division…
Denver Nuggets
- 2021/22 record: 48-34
- Over/under for 2022/23: 51.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
Minnesota Timberwolves
- 2021/22 record: 46-36
- Over/under for 2022/23: 49.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
Portland Trail Blazers
- 2021/22 record: 27-55
- Over/under for 2022/23: 40.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
Utah Jazz
- 2021/22 record: 49-33
- Over/under for 2022/23: 25.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Talen Horton-Tucker, Ochai Agbaji, Walker Kessler, Stanley Johnson, Simone Fontecchio, Leandro Bolmaro
- Note: The Jazz are carrying 17 players with guaranteed salaries, so it’s possible not all of these players will make the regular season roster.
- Lost: Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale, Danuel House, Hassan Whiteside, Juancho Hernangomez, Eric Paschall, Trent Forrest
- Added: Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Talen Horton-Tucker, Ochai Agbaji, Walker Kessler, Stanley Johnson, Simone Fontecchio, Leandro Bolmaro
Oklahoma City Thunder
- 2021/22 record: 24-58
- Over/under for 2022/23: 22.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Ousmane Dieng, Jaylin Williams
- Note: Holmgren will miss the 2022/23 season due to a right foot injury.
- Lost: Isaiah Roby
- Note: The Thunder are carrying 18 players with fully or partially guaranteed salaries, so they’ll likely part with three more players from last season’s roster.
- Added: Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Ousmane Dieng, Jaylin Williams
Previous voting results:
- Boston Celtics (55.5 wins): Under (56.1%)
- Brooklyn Nets (51.5 wins): Under (64.5%)
- Philadelphia 76ers (50.5 wins): Over (76.1%)
- Toronto Raptors (46.5 wins): Over (65.7%)
- New York Knicks (40.5 wins): Under (63.0%)
- Milwaukee Bucks (52.5 wins): Over (75.5%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (47.5 wins): Over (73.4%)
- Chicago Bulls (44.5 wins): Over (51.6%)
- Detroit Pistons (28.5 wins): Over (51.6%)
- Indiana Pacers (23.5 wins): Under (62.8%)
- Miami Heat (50.5 wins): Under (56.6%)
- Atlanta Hawks (46.5 wins): Over (53.6%)
- Charlotte Hornets (36.5 wins): Under (63.0%)
- Washington Wizards (35.5 wins): Under (50.8%)
- Orlando Magic (26.5 wins): Over (55.3%)
- Golden State Warriors (53.5 wins): Over (69.2%)
- Phoenix Suns (53.5 wins): Over (60.2%)
- Los Angeles Clippers (52.5 wins): Over (58.0%)
- Los Angeles Lakers (45.5 wins): Under (66.6%)
- Sacramento Kings (34.5 wins): Over (62.0%)
- Memphis Grizzlies (49.5 wins): Over (68.7%)
- Dallas Mavericks (48.5 wins): Over (63.7%)
- New Orleans Pelicans (44.5 wins): Over (61.2%)
- Houston Rockets (24.5 wins): Under (61.8%)
- San Antonio Spurs (23.5 wins): Under (67.5%)