There’s no such thing as a convenient time to develop back pain, but the timing of Julian Strawther’s injury has been especially unfortunate.
It has coincided with the long-term absences of Nuggets starters Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Christian Braun (ankle), both of whom are unlikely to play before Christmas. Ordinarily, Strawther would be among the bench players Denver would rely on to survive a difficult month of adversity. But the 23-year-old guard remained inactive Monday for an eighth consecutive game, listed out for lower back injury management.
He doesn’t seem particularly close to returning, either.
“He’s been doing minimal movement stuff,” coach David Adelman said before Denver hosted the Mavericks. “He was on the exercise machines today. I think it’s just a process of the (medicine) working and then seeing where it leads to, just through activity. (But) not basketball activity or physicality. So at this moment, I really don’t have any update on him, other than it was good to see him moving around.”
Strawther has been receiving routine injections for the pain. Before the injury, he was floating in and out of Adelman’s rotation, averaging 3.7 points in 7.9 minutes per game. His 3-point shot was off to a disappointing 2-for-16 start to the season, his third in Denver.
The Nuggets have already picked up the team option for the fourth and final year of his rookie-scale contract, meaning he’ll be owed $4.8 million next season. At his best, the Gonzaga alum has been a heat-check scorer off the bench for the last two years. Locating consistency has been the obstacle.
He might’ve had more of an opportunity to prove himself in recent weeks if not for his own unlucky health dilemma.
“It wasn’t in-game. It was an off day after a game,” Adelman said. “He just woke up with pain, and then it got considerably worse, to the point where anybody that’s had back issues — I have — it sucks. Like, you can’t do anything. No mobility. So we’re just trying to work our way through it.”
Adelman: Cooper Flagg ‘just plays so hard’
Monday marked the first time Denver has played against the Mavericks since the now-infamous trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February. No NBA franchise has undergone a more dramatic change than Dallas in the last 18 months; Doncic led the Mavs to the 2024 NBA Finals, then was shipped out to Los Angeles for Anthony Davis in a secretive negotiation that resulted in an uproar of protests by Mavericks fans.
General manager Nico Harrison, who made the trade on the guiding principle that Doncic wasn’t a good enough defender to lead Dallas to a championship, was fired on Nov. 11. The Mavericks arrived at Ball Arena this week with a 6-15 record to start their season.
Yet they have been sent a consolation prize by the basketball gods. Against the odds, they lucked into the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft lottery, enabling them to select one-and-done college star Cooper Flagg from Duke.
“The thing I like the most about him is, the nights I’ve watched him casually because we weren’t preparing for (Dallas), he just plays so hard,” Adelman said. “He competes every night. In this league, you can’t teach that part.”
Flagg was the consensus No. 1 pick at 18 years old, and he’s been widely regarded as one of the best NBA prospects of the 21st century. Averaging 16.7 points and 6.6 rebounds as a rookie, he came into Ball Arena fresh off a career-high 35-point performance that Mavs coach Jason Kidd described to reporters Monday as “the blueprint” of how to be an effective scorer without needing the 3-pointer.
The Mavericks have identified Flagg as the focal point of their self-inflicted rebuild after the Doncic trade. The 6-foot-9 forward was even thrown into a point guard role early in the season.
“Probably, the expectations were way too high, and then to have the injuries and to have the ball in your hand immediately was probably not the plan,” Adelman said, “not to mention with Kyrie (Irving) being out. I can’t imagine how good he’s going to be when he plays with a full, healthy team. I think their team is extremely underrated when healthy. I think they’re going to be one of the better defensive teams in our league. … The future is so bright for him.”