David Adelman – After an upset first-round exit to the Timberwolves, Misryoum reports Denver is not expected to make an immediate coaching change.
A first-round playoff upset can trigger panic in any NBA front office, but for Denver, the message appears to be clear: David Adelman’s job is not on the fast track to the chopping block.
Misryoum notes that the Nuggets don’t seem inclined to move on from their head coach after the stumble against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round.. Despite the disappointment of going out early. the internal feeling in Denver points toward Adelman returning for another season rather than facing an immediate reset.
This matters because coaching stability can be the difference between a team regrouping quickly and one that spirals into a longer rebuilding cycle.
Denver’s season still carried plenty of reasons for optimism.. The Nuggets finished 54-28, earned the No.. 3 seed in the Western Conference. and proved they could remain near the top despite a postseason crash-out that dated back to 2022 as their earliest exit in several years.. In the playoffs. they were matched up with a lower-seeded opponent that forced the issue. turning a 3-1 series deficit into a complete first-round statement.
Part of the bigger context behind the disappointment is that Denver spent much of the 2025-26 campaign dealing with availability problems.. Aaron Gordon. Cameron Johnson. Peyton Watson. and Christian Braun did not reach 60 games. while Nikola Jokić appeared in a career-low 65 contests.. Those gaps inevitably affect continuity, rotation choices, and how smoothly a team can peak when the postseason begins.
Meanwhile, the Game 6 loss came amid additional turmoil for Minnesota, which was missing several contributors due to injuries, including Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, Ayo Dosunmu, and Kyle Anderson. Put simply, Denver lost a series they had the chance to control.
Even so, Misryoum’s reporting suggests Denver’s leadership is weighing the full season rather than reacting to one series. When injuries shape a campaign as much as they did here, it can push decisions away from immediate blame and toward offseason planning.
With the playoffs now over, the Nuggets turn to their offseason process, and for Adelman, at least for now, the future looks steady. The focus will shift from answers on the court to decisions off it, as Denver aims to convert its regular-season strength into a deeper postseason run next time.
The underlying takeaway is that organizations often treat coaching moves as an offseason discussion unless a disaster forces a quicker response, and right now, Denver seems to believe it can build on what it already has.