The Denver Nuggets are heading into their 2026-27 season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, but they will be shorthanded. They already knew they'd be playing without Julian Strawther, and now their bench unit takes another hit.

After being listed as questionable due to bilateral hamstring injury management, the Nuggets have ruled out Spencer Jones with less than two hours until tip-off.

Now, with both Strawther and Jones unavailable , the Nuggets will need other players to step up to save their second unit. Their wing depth is deep enough to cover Strawther's absence, with Alpha Diallo and Cam Whitmore likely getting the bulk of the opportunities. But they will likely have to lean on second-round rookie Trevon Brazile to fill in for Jones.

Brazile needs to step up

Oct 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Trevon Brazile (7) during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.…