Championship contenders don’t always get better by signing another top player. Sometimes, the biggest impact comes from the bench. That’s the route the Denver Nuggets front office has taken with Nikola Jokic & Co. after hiring Dave Joerger, a veteran coach with nearly 20 years of experience, who has previously led the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings. But in what capacity will he assist head coach David Adelman?

“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,” Shams Charania posted.

This move gives Denver one of the league’s most experienced names at a critical point in the franchise’s transition. What Joerger offers goes far beyond just wins and losses.

In 2021, while serving as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers, Joerger stepped away from coaching after doctors diagnosed him with Stage 1 squamous cell carcinoma, a type of head, neck, and tonsil cancer. He underwent intense treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation, which forced him to leave the NBA temporarily. He returned in February 2022. 76ers head coach Doc Rivers, at the time, said that it was “a miracle” that Joerger was back to work that same year.

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Here’s a quick look at Joerger’s previous tenures.

* In the 2023-24 season, Joerger worked as a coaching consultant for the Cavaliers.

Joerger now joins Nikola Jokic & Co., and the timing makes sense. The Nuggets promoted David Adelman to head coach after dismissing Michael Malone, ending one of the most successful coaching tenures in franchise history. Then, with Adelman leading Denver through a promising first full season (54-28), adding a veteran voice offers a valuable resource inside the locker room.

After all, Joerger built a reputation for developing competitive teams during his tenure as head coach in Memphis and Sacramento. Especially with the Grizzlies, he led the team to three consecutive playoff appearances with a 147-99 record. That experience could prove valuable for Nikola Jokic’s team, which unexpectedly crumbled in the opening round to the Minnesota Timberwolves last season.

One of the Nuggets’ recurring challenges has been maintaining consistency when Jokic leaves the floor. While no coach can replicate the impact of the big man, Joerger could help build a stable second unit. By his second season as the Grizzlies’ coach, he had improved that team from the NBA’s eighth-ranked defense to the second-best unit. In the past five seasons (as an assistant), Joerger has had a top-12 defense in the league in four of them.

Joerger joins a Jokic-led team that has ranked 21st in defensive rating over the past two years, despite having capable players on paper. This Nuggets gig, though, isn’t going to be as straightforward as it seems because Denver is entering the season with financial constraints.

After moving into the second apron under the CBA, the Nuggets have fewer options to reshape the roster. They face restrictions on trades and free agency. With Peyton Watson, a promising young talent, still stuck in restrictive free agency, the team might have to bear another hit to keep the team intact.

With the latest signing of Spencer Jones, after matching the Oklahoma City Thunder’s offer, the team has a luxury tax bill of $68 million. Even if Watson chooses to play out next season on a qualifying offer, that will further increase the Nuggets’ tax penalty to $112 million, according to Bobby Marks.

That is certainly not a good sign for a front office that still has to lock its franchise centerpiece on a new long-term deal. Jokic has made it clear that his decision to delay inking a new contract is purely business-related. By waiting until 2027, the Serb becomes eligible to sign a five-year, $359.5 million contract as a free agent.

Jokic, however, also dropped a cryptic statement, saying, “It’s on them if they want me,” while clarifying that he intends to stay a Nugget forever. There is a realistic scenario in which Jokic may decide to move on from this team if they fail to make a deep postseason run yet again. He is 31, and with a few good basketball years left in him, the big man will want more than one NBA championship in his trophy cabinet.

Shedding Cameron Johnson’s $23.1 million expiring salary could be a way Denver eases that financial burden, but the CBA wouldn’t allow the Nuggets to take back more money than Johnson’s contract is worth.

It is a murky situation…

That’s where Joerger’s arrival carries extra significance. According to BasketNews, the long-time coach was one of the favorites to take over Paris Basketball. Instead, he has chosen the challenge in Denver. And while Nikola Jokic & Co. may not have unlimited roster flexibility, they are still a very capable team. They just need to find the right balance on the court and eventually weed out the high earners who aren’t helping their cause.