Julian Strawther to Miss Start of Nuggets Season With Left Knee Sprain

Denver Nuggets wing Julian Strawther will miss the start of the 2026-27 regular season after being diagnosed Friday with a left knee sprain. Strawther suffered the injury Wednesday during Denver’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers when he fell awkwardly with his left leg underneath him. The Nuggets said the 24-year-old will be reevaluated in six weeks, putting a potential return around late November or early December.

The diagnosis is better than initially feared after Strawther had to be helped from the floor, but the timing is difficult for both player and team. Strawther had been one of Denver’s most productive preseason reserves, averaging 13.3 points and shooting 43.5 percent from three through four exhibitions. With a larger bench scoring and spacing role available this season, he appeared positioned for an important opportunity in the final year of his rookie contract.

Denver now has to replace that shooting as the regular season begins. Strawther averaged 7.2 points in 57 games last season while making 38.7 percent of his three-point attempts, and his absence could create additional early-season minutes for other Nuggets wings. The encouraging part is that a frightening-looking injury did not become a season-ending diagnosis. The next key checkpoint will come when Denver reevaluates Strawther in roughly six weeks.