The Denver Nuggets are four games deep into their new 2026-27 campaign, and things could be going better. The Nuggets are 2-2, with wins over the New Orleans Pelicans and losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors.
Heading into a pivotal road matchup against the 1-2 Phoenix Suns, the Nuggets could certainly use a win to get above .500 for the first time this season. Ahead of this game, though, they have a few significant questions to answer as they inch deeper into this long season. Three burning questions facing the Nuggets after four games:
Can they find consistency on defense?
The Nuggets have already had a rollercoaster ride defensively. In their season opener, they held the high-powered Thunder to just 96 points, but struggled to contain them late. In their second game, they had three horrible quarters of defense against the Pelicans, before a great fourth quarter and overtime. In their third game, it was the worst, when the Warriors dominated them wire to wire.
Finally, in their most recent game, they put together a solid defensive performance all around. While the Pelicans found some rhythm in the second and third quarters, they were held to just 18 points in each of the first and fourth quarters, scoring just 91 total points. This performance alone catapulted the Nuggets’ defensive rating, as they jumped from the NBA’s 26th-ranked defense to 16th.
Friday’s Suns matchup will be a good test for the Nuggets’ defense, as they need to find some consistency on this end to be a serious contender.
Will health be a deciding factor again?
The Nuggets’ 2025-26 season was thrown off the rails due to injuries. We can only hope they have better luck this time around, but they have yet to see their lineup at full strength. Spencer Jones and Julian Strawther have missed all of Denver’s games so far, while Cameron Johnson and Alpha Diallo have missed the last three.
Fortunately, Johnson and Diallo have been upgraded to questionable ahead of Friday’s game, giving hope that they will get back on the floor. Still, if injuries are a major concern again, it will be hard to take this team seriously.
Until we see what the Nuggets are capable of at full strength, it is hard to evaluate them. Sure, they have struggled so far, but is it because of their injury absences? Maybe, but we might not know until everyone is back in the lineup.
To be fair, a lot of teams around the league are already dealing with significant injuries. Notable game-changers in the Western Conference, Anthony Edwards and Jalen Williams, have already gone down, and this has been a league-wide concern so far.
Will they start scoring?
After having the league’s top offense last year, the Nuggets have struggled to score this season. Without their 141-point overtime outburst against the Pelicans, the Nuggets’ offense has looked grim. They have averaged just 100.7 points in their three other games, and we are all wondering when we will see that elite offense from last season.
If the Nuggets do not find their rhythm offensively in Phoenix on Friday, then there might be an issue. The Suns have allowed 124 or more points in each of their three games so far, so this should be a situation where Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and company come in and dominate.
Through four games, the Nuggets have the league’s 22nd-ranked offense. This is an obvious concern, and one they desperately need to fix. For a team that struggles defensively, they at least need to be able to score to have a chance to compete.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
