Bruce Brown will not start Saturday’s Game 1 against the Timberwolves, ending a brief move into Denver’s starting lineup and sending him back to the second unit for the opener. Brown started the Nuggets’ final two regular-season games, but he is expected to resume his usual role off the bench when the series begins.
The shift matters because Brown has been most effective in the role Denver has used him in for most of the season. In 78 regular-season appearances off the bench, he averaged 7.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.0 minutes per game, production that gives the Nuggets a steady reserve option when they need energy and flexibility.
Brown’s short stint in the starting five offered a late-season look at a different alignment, but Saturday brings the familiar setup back into place. Denver is choosing to open Game 1 with the bench role that defined Brown’s year, a sign that the Nuggets are leaning on continuity as they begin the series against Minnesota.
The only question now is how much Brown’s second-unit impact can swing the game once the rotation settles in. If his regular-season numbers are any guide, Denver is counting on him to do the same work he did for much of the year: score, defend and keep the pace steady when the starters sit.
