​Every season, it seems that the Nuggets are looking for a new backup center. Between multiple years of Mason Plumlee, Zeke Nnaji, and DeAndre Jordan, Denver has not had it easy. In fact, their lack of security at the position has often been considered a sizeable factor in their shortcomings during the Nikola Jokic era.Nuggets fans thought they had found their solution last season when Denver signed Jonas Valanciunas. However, after one admittedly solid year, they waived him to free up cap space. Now, barring another signing or trade, they will be entering the 2026 season with three options at the position. Unfortunately for Nuggets fans, none of them will provide the success of true championship-caliber backup bigs like Luke Kornet or Mitchell Robinson. But all Denver needs is for one of them to be serviceable.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn the race for the role, Nuggets’ newly-signed Marvin Bagley is the most likely, albeit the least exciting. The Kings took Bagley with the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, and he never lived up to his enormous expectations. Since then, he has bounced from team to team, remaining in the minds of few.After the Kings, he became a journeyman, having gone to the Pistons, Wizards, Grizzlies, back to the Wizards, and then the Mavericks. Meanwhile, he has only played in more than 51 games in two of his eight seasons, which is largely why he was unable to live up to the hype. Between his constant injuries and his having only been on an over-.500 team once, it’s understandable how he could become forgotten. Nevertheless, his stats still show promise.Granted, his sample size is small — he averaged 10.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on 20 minutes a night last year — though it is an impressive stat line regardless. He also added a three-point shot to his game, shooting 46 percent on about three attempts a night.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBagley’s career has been filled with injuries and bad teams. However, he just played 60 games last year and is finally on a contender. Will he become a game-breaker? Absolutely not. But that isn’t what Denver needs. All they need is somebody to grab some rebounds, contest some shots, and hit a midrange or three-pointer now and then. Many still have their opinions about him, and rightfully so, but Bagley can get the job done.The Nuggets drafted DaRon Holmes in the first round of the 2024 Draft, hoping he could be their Jokic backup of the future. Then, disaster struck when he tore his Achilles in the summer league that offseason. He missed the whole year and barely played last year, but this season could be his chance.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHolmes was an absolute monster in college, averaging 20.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks a game for Dayton. He also shot a solid 38 percent from three on 2.5 attempts per night.Denver has no reason not to give him a shot this year. If they did not, they would be throwing away a first-round p