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Feb 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman in the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

David Adelman Shares Concern Level on Nuggets’ Struggles

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Feb 25, 2026 5:00 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets have been dealing with some turbulence throughout the course of the February stretch of their NBA schedule.

They have a combined record of 3-6 throughout their nine games within the month, have lacked a ton of cohesion on the defensive side of the ball, and even with their three-time MVP Nikola Jokic healthy and in the lineup after his near-month absence, it still hasn't been enough to bring this Nuggets group back to life.

Now with just around a month and a half to go until the playoffs officially get underway, the time is ticking for the Nuggets to not only finally get healthy, but also gel into the championship-ready team they were projected to be heading into the season, and even had shown flashes of the last time everyone was at 100%.

For Nuggets head coach David Adelman, though, he doesn't seem to be too worried about the up-and-down run that Denver's endured throughout the past few weeks. Instead, he sees the rough patch as a small blip on the radar within the season that most teams have had to face this year as well.

"Do you do you feel pressured? Do you feel like we're trending in the wrong direction? Not really," Adelman said during a recent Nuggets practice. "I think we're just going through something right now and when [Peyton Watson and Aaron Gordon] come back, we'll go through something again."

"But the biggest part of this is surviving it, getting to the end, because we know what we can be if we're fully healthy. We get the tournament how hard we'll be to beat. I know it's frustrating for fans. For myself, it’s part of the deal. The 82-game schedule is what it is, and a lot of teams are going through it. You look at the top teams of the West, outside of San Antonio. Everybody’s had injuries. So we've had it too. And this is our period that we have to fight through."

David Adelman Sees Nuggets Turning Around Once Healthy

Sure, the Nuggets have been far from exemplary in their recent stretch, but it's hard to evaluate this team in its totality and for what their future may hold as they're still without two of their top two-way players— Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson— still sidelined with their respective hamstring injuries.

Without them, the Nuggets have not only been without a key chunk of their depth in the frontcourt that makes them go, but also have lost a ton of firepower on the defensive side of the ball. That's sunk them to be the 22th-ranked team in the NBA for defensive rating, and has been the key behind some of their latest shortcomings.

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Therefore, Adelman sees their return as a major lift to the lineup. And once that transpires, and the Nuggets roster get time to gel with everyone healthy and on the floor, then that can be a real game changer.

"When we get Aaron and Peyton back, and we figure out who the hell we are from all the way back in October who we thought we were going to be, the hope is that we get enough games to find a rhythm to who we can be. And I think what we can be is a major, major problem. But we just got to get to that point."

Until that time comes, once this group is fully healthy, the Nuggets are in a bit of a waiting period, and thus, have to make do with the leftover parts of their usually well-oiled machine to keep things afloat.

This article first appeared on Denver Nuggets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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