It was Media Day today! This was my (Ryan Blackburn) fifth Media Day with Mile High Sports and eighth Media Day overall. It’s always a privilege to be a part of the festivities and to ask players questions about the upcoming NBA season.
For the Denver Nuggets, Media Day often serves as a fresh start for the season, an opportunity to wipe the slate clean from the previous year and look forward to new and exciting opportunities. The Nuggets will play a real preseason game in just under a week on Sunday in Boulder, and that will be the first chance to see what the 2026-27 Nuggets will be like in-person.
In the meantime, there were many interesting topics discussed. Here were the 10 best quotes and some reasons to look forward to the upcoming season:
Nikola Jokic speaks on his contract situation
This was the most important quote of the day. When the best player in the world is entering the season on an expiring contract, that draws a lot of questions and commentary.
Jokic put a lot of that to bed today, at least for the time being.
“I’m gonna sign next year…if they want me.”
Jokic stated subsequently that he’s been very open with Josh Kroenke, Ben Tenzer, and Jon Wallace (Denver’s executive and front office brain trust) about his intentions. He’s making a business decision to wait until the 2027 offseason to sign a five-year maximum contract, getting the most he can get on the longest contract he can get.
“They know my opinion,” Jokic stated. “I was being more than open about it, and hopefully they trust me.”
An expiring contract requires a lot of trust, but Jokic is saying all of the right things about his commitment to the Nuggets, especially when it comes to playing for one team for his entire career and how valuable that is to him.
Aaron Gordon provides endless perspective
One of the most interesting players to hear from every Media Day is Aaron Gordon, and the Nuggets star power forward didn’t disappoint. When asked about offseason trade rumors and if the team needed to change anything or evolve to get back to the highest level, Gordon shared his insight:
“Bad teams panic. Bad teams, when they don’t win, they panic, and they just never get any traction. But there is a certain level of urgency.”
During the offseason, Josh Kroenke shared that everything was on the table except trading Jokic in terms of changing things up on the roster. The Nuggets obviously didn’t go that direction, and Gordon emphasized throughout his press conference that the team just needed to be healthy to show why they chose to stay the course.
“When we have all our guys and we’re available, I mean, we’re still the best in the league.”
Gordon’s confidence in the team isn’t universally shared, but that’s why he’s Mr. Nugget.
Jamal Murray understands it’s a business
In continuing the theme of possible trades, Jamal Murray shared his own thoughts on potentially being on the trading block during the offseason.
“I mean, it’s a business at the end of the day.”
“You know, I’ve been blessed and grateful to be with the same team that drafted me for—I mean, this is my 11th year.”
“People are gonna say what they say. There’s always gonna be trades, always something people are talking about, or else there would be no social media and you guys wouldn’t have a job.”
Blunt, honest, but also clearly putting the team first and understanding of what the situation is. Murray has been with the Nuggets his entire career, and he’s always been quick to say how much he loves Denver and wants to remain with the team.
Circumstances might change at some point, but Murray’s perspective will always be appreciated.
David Adelman on turning the page
Last season, Nuggets head coach David Adelman was often fairly defensive of the Nuggets despite the team losing in the first round to the Minnesota Timberwolves. On Media Day today, Adelman remained fairly defensive of the group but also had this to say:
“You have to lean into some of the things that you did well. But you sure as hell have to learn when you lose.”
This entire experience was a new one for the Nuggets, and they’re going to learn a fair amount from it. Adelman stated that he wanted the Nuggets to remember that they did do things well last year and the team can take some of those things with them like being a great regular season offense.
But, there still has to be some changes and improvements. Adelman knows it. The Nuggets know it.
Adelman’s big focus
David Adelman had many important things to discuss throughout his presser, but perhaps the most important one tactically was a focus on transition defense to start the season.
“You can’t have the efficiency that we have offensively and be one of the worst defensively. It doesn’t make sense to put the ball in the basket that much and then struggle on the way back.”
The Nuggets last year, and for much of the last few years, have struggled in transition defense. It can’t just be about having Nikola Jokic as a main piece either. Denver’s transition defense wasn’t good under almost any circumstance.
“That’s the excitement I have for some of the young guys—the two guys we drafted. You know, just seeing different faces and what they’re going to be good for us. And honestly, in camp, to mimic some of that pace, that speed, that athleticism, offensive rebounding—it’s gonna help our team.”
Athletic players like Cam Whitmore, Lonnie Walker IV, Trevon Brazile, Bryce Hopkins, and even DeMar DeRozan and Marvin Bagley III should help Denver’s main group prepare for transition defense.
Cam Johnson reflects on the playoffs
Cam Johnson didn’t mince words when discussing what’s at stake for the Denver Nuggets entering the 2026-27 season.
“I feel like we have unfinished business as a group.”
“There’s a lot of ways to lose a series, and the way we lost was one of the unacceptable ones.”
Johnson himself had a pretty solid all-around performance in the playoffs, but there are aspects of the game—the playoff moments—that even he would like to have back. He stated today that his and Christian Braun’s jobs (they did their presser together) is to take pressure off of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Obviously, that didn’t happen when Denver faced a tough matchup.
“You can’t just fast-forward to next year’s playoffs. You have to lay the groundwork for it.”
This season, Johnson’s second with the Nuggets, will be about improving his overall impact for the Nuggets entering the 2026-27 season. Johnson can do more, and he will likely be asked to do more this year on both ends of the floor.
DeMar DeRozan introduced to Denver Nuggets fans
The Nuggets’ biggest addition this offseason was DeMar DeRozan, and DeRozan showed some excitement about being part of Denver’s plan and joining a group that won a championship.
What does DeRozan hope to accomplish?
“Just adding to what they already have that’s dominant and just trying to make it more unstoppable.”
It’s clear that the Nuggets made it a priority to recruit DeRozan here. He shared some appreciation for that and for the Nuggets to value him the way that they clearly do. There were plenty of positive comments about what DeRozan will add to the group.
For DeRozan though, he’s still in the position of appreciating every moment he has playing in the NBA.
“It’s a privilege, it’s an honor to be able to play this long. Most people don’t get to play this long.”
“I just love hooping, man.”
There will be plenty to write about and discuss going forward. The Denver Nuggets are back in the building though. They had something to say too.
Training camp starts in Boulder tomorrow, and the Nuggets can really get going and establish how they can be the best team they can be in the near future.
The regular season is just 3.5 weeks away.
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