The Denver Nuggets had a quiet offseason by their standards. No blockbuster trades. No splashy free agent signings. LeBron James flirted with the idea of coming to Denver, but that never materialized. Peyton Watson remains unsigned. And the roster still has holes to fill.
One of those holes is at backup point guard. Jamal Murray is coming off the best season of his career, but he has a history of injuries. Tyus Jones looked solid in limited minutes last season but struggled badly in Orlando before the Nuggets picked him up off the buyout market. Behind those two, there isn’t much.
But Denver might have found an answer — and it came from an unexpected place.
Mark Sears Made a Case in Summer League
The Nuggets’ Summer League roster didn’t include a single former first-round pick. That opened the door for second-rounders, undrafted players, and international prospects to prove themselves. Two guys stood out right away: Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins, both second-round picks. But another name started turning heads as the schedule went on.
Mark Sears was one of the best college guards in the country at Alabama. First-Team All-American in 2025. Two-time First-Team All-SEC. He was the engine behind that historic March Madness run where the Crimson Tide made 25 three-pointers in a single game — a record that still stands. Sears finished 19th on the all-time Division I scoring list.
None of that mattered on draft night. Scouts had questions about his size — he’s undersized for an NBA guard. The skill set didn’t seem like it would translate. So he went undrafted. The Bucks gave him a two-way contract, and he spent most of his rookie season in the G-League with the Wisconsin Herd.
And he was good there. Really good. Sears averaged 19.1 points and 5.5 assists while shooting 41.8% from three. The production carried over to Summer League, where he put up 13.5 points and 3.5 assists per game with a 35.3% three-point clip.
The comp that keeps getting mentioned is Jalen Brunson. Both left-handed. Both undersized. Both viewed as college superstars who wouldn’t make it in the NBA. Brunson proved everyone wrong — two national titles, National Player of the Year, and now an NBA Finals MVP. Nobody expects Sears to become that. But he doesn’t need to be that. He just needs to be a solid backup.
Sears isn’t some raw project. He’s a second-year pro who already produced at a high level in the G-League. He can shoot, he can create for others, and he knows how to run an offense. For a Nuggets team that needs depth behind Murray, that might be enough.
Denver has roster spots available. They’ve been slow to fill them. If they’re smart, they’ll give Sears a real look before someone else does.
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