Julian Strawther Rumors

And after spraining his left knee on March 2, he went about his month-long recovery process under the assumption that he would not be a part of Denver's playoff rotation, he told The Denver Post. "That's where my mind was at," Strawther said. "And the staff was transparent with me ... 'We may or may not need you to stay ready.' "The timing of that injury was super tough, understanding that I would be cleared to play either with a game left or two in the regular season. Barely any time to ramp up. So my main thing was just trying to battle back."

Denver Post

"I thought he held water defensively, too. That was a big deal," Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said. "You want to keep an offensive player out there, but they have to be able to handle their own on the other end. And he did. We didn't have to change schematically, defensively, because he sat down, moved his feet and guarded."

Denver Post

Denver’s lack of depth in this series has had Adelman searching for someone, anyone, to come off the bench and make a meaningful contribution. Strawther has played 54 minutes across the six games, or a little under seven minutes a night. Fourteen of those minutes came in Game 2, when the Nuggets were smoked 149-106 and everyone on the roster got into the game. Thursday’s 20 minutes were his series-high. The Nuggets simply needed someone with fresh legs, and Strawther provided that and a lot more with the season hanging in the balance. “We’re all super happy for him because we know what he’s capable of,” Murray said. “Yoy can see how he can impact a game quickly in a high-pressure moment. His energy really set the tone for us. Everybody kind of realized what was going on, and we were able to build off of it.”

New York Times

And the Nuggets' recent draft record, to their credit, has been strong. Booth is known around the league as one of the more dogged top executives on the scouting trail. "He's always in the gym," said one Denver ally. "He might leave the owner's box after any game and fly right to some college tournament." Over dinners and drinks with staffers, Booth is always talking basketball. And he's been so confident in his preferred players, it's been somewhat easy to telegraph Denver's draft choices over the years, whether the Nuggets outright promised certain draftees or openly told agents representing other players that their client wouldn't be in consideration because the Nuggets had already zeroed on their target, be it Julian Strawther or DaRon Holmes.

marcstein.substack.com

Vinny Benedetto: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic and Peyton Watson are questionable for tonight’s game against San Antonio. Julian Strawther remains out. Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan are among the Spurs’ inactives.

Twitter

Vinny Benedetto: Jamal Murray (R hamstring tightness) and Aaron Gordon (illness/R calf injury management) are questionable for tomorrow's game against Minnesota. Nikola Jokic (L ankle impingement) and Christian Braun (L foot sprain) are probable. Julian Strawther and DaRon Holmes II are out.

Twitter

Vinny Benedetto: Nikola Jokic (L ankle impingement) is doubtful for tomorrow's game against Milwaukee. Aaron Gordon (R calf injury management/L ankle sprain) is questionable. Christian Braun (L foot strain) is probable. Jamal Murray is off Denver's injury report. Julian Strawther still out.

Twitter

Vinny Benedetto: Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun are probable for Sunday's game in Houston. Nikola Jokic will miss a fourth straight game. Julian Strawther remains out.

bsky.app

Gerald Bourguet: Nikola Jokic (left ankle inflammation) and Aaron Gordon (left ankle sprain) are questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Suns. Zeke Nnaji (left ankle sprain) is probable, Julian Strawther (left knee sprain) and DaRon Holmes II (right Achilles tendon repair) are out

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Bennett Durando: Nuggets guard Julian Strawther will miss at least four weeks with a sprained left knee.

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Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther will be part of All-Star weekend after being selected to the Rising Stars event as an injury replacement. Strawther takes the place of Portland guard Scoot Henderson, who suffered an ankle injury recently. The league announced the replacement Wednesday ahead of Denver's game against Portland. The 22-year-Strawther has played in 54 games this season, averaging 9.6 points a game. He leads all second-year bench players in total points (479), minutes played (1,112), field goals made (170) and 3-pointers made (79).

ESPN

“[I] was looking forward to participating in my fourth rising stars game, but will still be there to root on Team M, along with my teammates Toumani [Camara] and Bryce [McGowens].” Henderson said. “Four times? Yeah, it’s a blessing. Every single time I went, I prayed. Once I saw I got the invitation, I prayed every single time. So, it’s a blessing man, just to be able to do things like that. Obviously, four times nobody has probably ever done it, so [it’s a] blessing. That’s all I can say. “A lot of people don’t get the opportunity, so it’s not like you can’t get fatigued. A lot of people don’t even make it this far.”

Andscape

The Nuggets have continued to gauge the trade market on Nnaji and also Dario Saric, league sources told HoopsHype. With Denver lacking draft capital to trade, teams have countered by asking for the availability of Denver’s younger rotation players such as Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther. Nuggets starter Christian Braun has also drawn trade interest, but it’s been rebuffed by Denver.

HoopsHype

Julian Strawther can summon his droll brand of deadpan humor at any moment — on the court or off it. Teammates who’ve gotten to know him best over the past 18 months with the Nuggets will tell you he has a wisecrack for every situation. A spilled drink? “Oh, that’s my luck today? Cool.” Two consecutive shots popping out of the cylinder during a workout? “I hate basketball.” A humbling “Call of Duty” loss to an online stranger? “I guess all the people that don’t have the 9-to-5s are on tonight.” “He’s just a real funny type of pessimistic,” Peyton Watson told The Denver Post. “He may be the most laid-back individual I know,” added Christian Braun, “but he’s hilarious.”

Denver Post