The Denver Nuggets are amid a period that has seen plenty of changes over the past few months. With David Adelman serving as the interim coach, it was particularly impressive when they pushed the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games. The Nuggets remained busy once the offseason started.
New Denver Nuggets Coach Gets Clear About Role With Team originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Denver Nuggets are amid a period that has seen plenty of changes over the past few months. They didn’t even wait until the offseason to begin making critical changes. They made the shocking choice to fire head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth just days before the conclusion of the regular season.
However, that didn’t seem to impact the Nuggets in any negative way, as they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. With David Adelman serving as the interim coach, it was particularly impressive when they pushed the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games. Unfortunately, injuries piled up and Nikola Jokic started to wear down. However, they proved to their own organization, as well as the rest of the league, that they should still be taken seriously as contenders in the Western Conference.
New Denver Nuggets coach gets clear about role with team
The Nuggets remained busy once the offseason started. They made a monumental trade with the Brooklyn Nets that sent Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 unprotected first-round pick in exchange for Cameron Johnson. Shortly after, they announced that they were reuniting with fan-favorite guard Bruce Brown, who helped the Nuggets win a title in 2023.
They were also able to bolster their depth, which they severely lacked down the stretch of the playoffs. They sent Dario Saric to the Sacramento Kings for veteran big man Jonas Valanciunas. They also added a former NBA Champion, Jared Dudley, to Adelman’s coaching staff.
Dudley elaborated on what his role with the Nuggets will be.
“You already have a championship core, my job here is to help bring adjustments, bring a different identity and intensity from a player’s perspective and help this team get over the hump,” said Dudley. “... It’s my job to push guys in a former player way to get to them but yet understand its a team defense.”
Jared Dudley flew from Singapore to Denver as soon as the Nuggets got permission to interview him. He had a 4.5 hour dinner with David Adelman the next night.
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) July 13, 2025
"It's my job to push guys, in a former player way."
🎙️ @Adam_Mares & @DuvalierJohnson caught up with Dudley tonight. pic.twitter.com/MrG88OYM0W
Dudley was part of the Los Angeles Lakers team that won the NBA Finals in the Bubble during COVID-19. He was previously an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks from 2021 through 2025 after retiring as a player in 2021.
It remains to be seen how the Nuggets players respond to Dudley’s style of coaching. Still, if he can get the Nuggets to being even an average defensive team, with the talent they have up and down the roster, they’ll be thinking championship or bust next season.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
