Nuggets give David Adelman some help, hire Dave Joerger

The Denver Nuggets are retaining head coach David Adelman next season.

And now they’re giving him some veteran help on the bench.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Nuggets are hiring Dave Joerger as the team’s lead assistant. Joerger was previously the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.

Longtime NBA coach Dave Joerger has agreed on a deal to become the lead assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets on head coach David Adelman's staff, sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 28, 2026

Joerger coached the Grizzlies from 2013-2016 and compiled an impressive 147-99 record. Memphis went 55-27 under him during the 2014-15 NBA season. Joerger was fired in May of 2016 after a disappointing 42-40 campaign.

But it didn’t take long for him to land in Sacramento as the Kings hired Joerger only two days after he was let go in Memphis. He compiled a less impressive 98-148 record in Sacramento before being dismissed in April of 2019. He’s since had stops as an assistant in Philadelphia and Milwaukee and was also a consultant in Cleveland.

Adelman helped lead the Nuggets to an impressive 54-win season last season in his first full year as head coach. He navigated injuries well and Denver earned the No. 3 seed in the West.

It all came crashing down in the playoffs, though, as the Nuggets stunningly lost to the Timberwolves in six games in Round 1. Many questioned if Adelman was the right man for the job moving forward, but owner Josh Kroenke and the front office have supported him.

Still, clearly those same folks felt like Adelman needed another veteran voice next to him. And that will come in the form of Joerger, who has plenty of experience both as a head coach and an assistant in the NBA.

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