The Nuggets are hiring Dave Joerger as their top assistant coach under head coach David Adelman, adding one of the NBA’s most experienced sideline voices to the staff in Denver.
Joerger, 52, has been in the NBA as an assistant or head coach since 2007. He previously ran head coaching jobs with the Grizzlies and the Kings before returning to assistant roles later in his career.
The move gives the Nuggets a proven No. 2 coach next to Adelman, who took over in Denver last April when Michael Malone was fired. That kind of experience can matter on a bench that is trying to stay steady while adjusting to a new lead voice.
Why Joerger stands out
Joerger’s track record includes a 147-99 record and a.598 win-loss percentage in three years with Memphis, followed by a Sacramento stint that ended with a 98-148 mark and a.398 percentage. He was promoted to head coach by the Grizzlies in the 2013 offseason and was let go in May 2016. Sacramento hired him later in 2016, then dismissed him in 2019.
That history gives Denver a coach who has already handled the pressure of leading an NBA team and has also spent time working in support roles. For a team that finished 54-28 last season and earned the Western Conference third seed before reaching the first round of the playoffs, the addition is more about staff strength than a major overhaul.
Recent options for Joerger
Joerger had also looked at opportunities outside the NBA. In June, he interviewed for the lead assistant position, and Shams Charania of reported a couple of weeks before July 27, 2026, that Denver was an increasingly likely landing spot. He ultimately chose to stay in the NBA in an assistant role rather than make a move overseas.
For the Nuggets, the hire fits the current moment. Adelman is still settling into the head coaching job, and bringing in a veteran like Joerger gives him another experienced sounding board as Denver moves into the next phase of its coaching setup.
