TITLE: Nuggets set to add Dave Joerger as lead assistant under David Adelman
SLUG: nuggets-hire-dave-joerger-top-assistant-coach
CONTENT:
The Denver Nuggets are finalizing an agreement to bring longtime NBA coach Dave Joerger onto David Adelman’s staff as the top assistant, according to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania’s report follows earlier indications from veteran journalist Marc Stein, who noted in mid-June that Denver had emerged as the frontrunner after interviewing Joerger for the position. The 52-year-old coach also weighed offers from Australia’s Melbourne United and EuroLeague club Paris Basketball before opting to remain in the NBA.
Joerger’s résumé includes three seasons as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies (147-99, .598) from 2013 to 2016, reaching the postseason each year. He later guided the Sacramento Kings from 2016 to 2019, posting a 98-148 mark (.398). More recently, he served as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers and, last season, the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Nuggets had been searching for an experienced No. 2 coach since Adelman—previously a longtime assistant—was elevated to head coach after Michael Malone’s dismissal in April. Denver finished 54-28 in the 2025-26 campaign, earning the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed before falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.
Source: Hoops Rumors
