The Denver Nuggets finally got their man. Per Shams Charania of ESPN, Denver is finalizing a deal to add Dallas Mavericks assistant Jared Dudley as the top assistant to David Adelman. Dudley was a hot commodity around the league, with both Memphis and Cleveland reported to have interest in adding him to their coaching ranks. But Denver won out, and the lead assistant role is now filled. In recent days Frank Vogel was hired to be the lead assistant for the Mavericks under Jason Kidd, an acknowledgement that they would not be able to retain Dudley.
This does not provide Adelman with a more seasoned coach for his bench – Dudley has only been coaching since 2021 after his NBA career – but it does give him another bright up-and-comer to work with to craft Denver’s new approach on both sides of the ball as Adelman looks to make the team his own. Dudley has experience in player development and is not afraid of analytic approaches, while being schooled under Vogel – the guy who replaced him in Dallas and a much-respected defensive mind. Things keep looking up for the Nuggets this offseason, stay tuned!
