On Wednesday night, the Nuggets fanbase witnessed a scary incident in the preseason matchup against the LA Clippers. A day later, it manifested into the fans’ worst fear as the Denver Nuggets suffered a major roster blow just days before opening night. The team announced that rising guard Julian Strawther sustained a left knee sprain during the October 14 game. At a time when Nuggets fans have been critical of the rotation strategies around Nikola Jokic, losing Strawther is another setback they can’t handle.
In an official medical update released Friday, the team confirmed that Strawther will be missing most of the first half of the 2026-27 regular season. He will be re-evaluated in six weeks. The timeline effectively rules the 24-year-old out through late November and likely into December. He’d likely miss the road trip to Mexico when the Nuggets play against the Pacers in Mexico City in November.
The official medical release confirmed the injury occurred in the third quarter of the Clippers game at Intuit Dome on Wednesday. Strawther was attempting to navigate between Clippers defenders Isaiah Jackson and Blake Wesley when his leg got caught under his body, causing him to buckle awkwardly. As he fell to the floor, he was visibly grimacing in pain.
An NBA insider, Tomer Azarly reported, “Julian Strawther tweaked his knee on that last collision, went down in pain, and stayed down for a minute.”
Strawther required immediate assistance from medical staff to reach the locker room. He didn’t return to the game and finished with 11 points, two rebounds, and two turnovers in 18 minutes of action. The Nuggets lost 122-110 to the Clippers.
While initial evaluations left the franchise hopeful that Strawther avoided catastrophic, season-ending ligament damage, a follow-up MRI confirmed the sprain.
The setback is particularly frustrating for head coach David Adelman, who was actively relying on Strawther to anchor the second unit’s perimeter scoring. Before going down, Strawther had been a revelation for Adelman’s strategies, with a standout exhibition campaign, averaging 14 points over three games before the incident.
Beyond the immediate impact on Denver’s depth, the injury adds financial intrigue as Strawther approaches an October 19 deadline to sign a rookie-scale contract extension. If no deal is finalized prior to the deadline, the former Gonzaga standout will enter pending restricted free agency next summer.
The loss of Strawther directly impacts Denver’s ongoing efforts to solve its longstanding bench woes for non-Jokic minutes. For years, the team’s dramatic drop-off when the 3x MVP rests on the sidelines has plagued the franchise.
While the starting lineup frequently dominates opponents, second-unit configurations have struggled to maintain leads, a vulnerability highlighted during Wednesday’s 122–110 loss to the Clippers.
Denver’s starters, led by the Joker,built up a 21–6 lead early in the first quarter, but the advantage evaporated quickly once the reserves entered the game. Despite the Nuggets taking a lead every time Jokic was on the floor, their secondary group slid drastically behind, with bench metrics finishing deep in the negative across the board.
Strawther was a -14 before his exit and he wasn’t the worst off the bench. Both Cam Whitmore and Trevon Brazile were a bleak -21 and Marvin Bagley was at -15.
Nuggets insiders reported that Adelman had expressed a desire during training camp to establish a strict secondary rotation without staggering starters like Jamal Murray or Cameron Johnson into non-Jokic minutes to preserve their stamina for the long regular-season grind.
Strawther had emerged as a primary candidate for the tenth rotation spot following the offseason departure of Tim Hardaway Jr.
Across the preseason games, Strawther, alongside DeMar DeRozan, Tyus Jones, and Marvin Bagley III, offered much-needed floor spacing and scoring that Hardaway used to bring to the team.
With Strawther sidelined alongside forward Spencer Jones, who continues to manage a hamstring issue, Adelman must now pivot his rotation strategy.
Defensive specialist Alpha Diallo is expected to see expanded minutes, while veteran additions will bear a heavier burden to prevent bench stretches from undermining Denver’s championship ambitions.
The Nuggets officially kick off their regular-season schedule next Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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