Detroit Pistons (0-0) at Denver Nuggets (0-0), 9 p.m. (ET)

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Denver Nuggets hope year No. 2 under head coach Brian Shaw will produce better results, as he leads the team into the season opener versus the Detroit Pistons Wednesday at the Pepsi Center.

The 2013-14 season for the Nuggets was derailed by injuries and they were left out of the postseason for the first time in a decade.

Denver had lofty expectations for last season after a 57-win campaign the one before. However, center JaVale McGee played in only five games, small forward Danilo Gallinari didn't play at all and top point guard Ty Lawson missed 20 games for a squad that went 36-46. Guard Nate Robinson and forwards J.J. Hickson and Wilson Chandler were dealt with injuries as well.

Denver's decimated roster put Shaw in a tough predicament and at times he appeared to have lost the locker room. Lawson said Shaw didn't have a full team with people down and his coach wasn't sure who would be healthy enough to play on any given night. But Lawson feels Shaw will have a gauge on what the Nuggets will see on a regular basis with everyone healthy.

"I'm just really looking forward to the depth that this team will have with everybody healthy and available to play," Shaw said. "We're hopeful that by the first game of the season that we'll have everybody available and ready to go."

The Nuggets weren't overly active in free agency, but guard Arron Afflalo is back in the fold and the team can finally see what a deep roster can do.

Adding Afflalo to play alongside Lawson and the one known as "Manimal" (Kenneth Faried) should easily improve the offense. The Nuggets acquired Afflalo from Orlando in exchange for guard Evan Fournier and a draft pick, and he played for the Nuggets from 2009-2012 before being traded to the Magic.

Afflalo is coming off a career season in which he averaged 18.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 73 games.

Lawson averaged 17.6 points and 8.8 assists in only 62 games last season, while Faried (13.7 ppg), Chandler (13.6 ppg) and guard Randy Foye (13.2 ppg) rounded out the other tops scorers. In order to compete in a Northwest Division with powerhouse Oklahoma City and rising Portland, the Nuggets must stay out of the trainer's room and perform consistently.

The Nuggets have lost two straight season openers after winning the past three.

Detroit will start a new era with Stand Van Gundy as both head coach and president of basketball operations. It will be a full plate for Van Gundy, who owns a 371-208 record as a head coach and guided Orlando to the 2009 NBA Finals.

Van Gundy, who previously served as head coach for the Miami Heat for two-plus seasons (2003-05) prior to his five-year run in Orlando, comes to a franchise that has missed the playoffs in five straight seasons and posted its second straight 29-53 campaign in 2013-14.

"Stan is a proven winner in our league," said Pistons owner Tom Gores. "He instills his teams with passion, purpose and toughness. He is a great teacher who will help our players grow and develop. Stan is more than just a great coach, he's a great leader. What I'm most excited about is how Stan can help us shape the franchise and instill what it means to be the best. He's also a great communicator. My time with Stan has me convinced that he will bring our players, team and community to a very proud place."

The Pistons have not won more than 30 games in that five-year drought and should make a case for the playoffs this season. They won't have big man Greg Monroe at the start of the season because he's serving a two-game suspension for driving while visibly impaired. The incident occurred after Monroe signed a one-year qualifying offer with the Pistons for the upcoming season.

Monroe, 24, was drafted No. 7 overall by the Pistons in 2010 and has averaged 14.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 309 games for them. He averaged 15.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season.

Josh Smith led Detroit with 16.4 points last season and young center Andre Drummond led the team in rebounds (13.2), field goal percentage (62.3) and blocked shots (1.6). He averaged 13.5 ppg and is entering his third NBA season. Brandon Jennings was second on the Pistons with 15.5 ppg, and averaged 21.0 points and 8.5 assists against the Nuggets last season.

Detroit and Denver split two matchups a season ago. The Pistons are winless in their last five visits to the Pepsi Center.