The start of wing Julian Strawther’s fourth NBA season with the Denver Nuggets is off to an unfortunate, unpredictable beginning.
During the Wednesday, Oct. 14, preseason matchup at the Los Angeles Clippers, Strawther suffered a left knee sprain that was revealed by an MRI the following day. The Gonzaga Bulldog sharpshooter will be re-evaluated in six weeks and will look to make his 2026-27 debut sometime in December.
Injury Update: Julian Strawther suffered a Left Knee Sprain against the Los Angeles Clippers. He will be re-evaluated in six weeks.
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 17, 2026
Denver is already limited with the bench and three-point shooting support leading into their season opener against center Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Oct. 22. Last season, Strawther averaged 7.2 points on a career-high 46.7 field goal percentage and 38.7 three-point percentage across 57 games played.
The highly anticipated introduction of the newest Nugget and former Zag, point guard Ryan Nembhard, alongside Strawther out on the perimeter will have to wait. Nembhard was signed by Denver to a two-way contract as an unrestricted free agent back at the end of September.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho