With the Denver Nuggets offseason in full effect, the front office has now set out to dissect the upcoming NBA Draft and the vast amount of players that are set to hit the market as free agents this year.
And as the Nuggets go, so do all of us here at Mile High Sports.
So over the next month we will be going position by position and breaking down the top five draft choices and potential free agents and their fit in Denver.
Being that the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery was earlier this week and the Nuggets remain at the seventh-overall selection, we will dive into potential picks at that spot. Do the Nuggets draft best player available or draft based on need? Is it a wing or a backup point guard more needed?
Without further ado, five selections the Nuggets could make in the seventh slot.
Jamal Murray, Kentucky
Age: 19 years old Size: 6’4, 207 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 20 points; 5.2 rebounds; 2.2 assists per game
Percentages: 45.4% from the field; 40.8% from three-point; 78.3% from the free throw line
Jamal Murray is everything the Nuggets could want in terms of spacing the floor and putting a volume shooter next to Emmanuel Mudiay. He shot 40.8 percent from the three-point arc on 7.7 attempts per game. For a Nuggets team that was in the bottom five in three-point percentage and starts a, currently, non-shooter in Mudiay, the need of having a knock-down shooter in the backcourt could not be stated enough. It would open up the offense substantially.
While Jamal Murray is as highly touted as any prospect outside of Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, there is a chance that draft night gets trade happy and the unthinkable starts to happen.
The Phoenix Suns drafted the diminutive Devin Booker last year and I highly doubt they are trying to bring on a similar player. Same situation goes for Boston in the third draft slot. There has already been lots of talk that Minnesota and/or New Orleans could be trading out of their spots. Adding into the fact that this draft is heavy with frontcourt players gives more opportunity for Murray to fall into Denver’s lap.
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Age: 22 years old Size: 6’4, 214 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 25 points; 5.7 rebounds; 2 assists per game
Shooting Percentages: 50.1% from the field; 45.7% from three-point; 88% from the free throw line
Buddy Hield being paired with the Denver Nuggets at the seventh pick makes about as much sense as it can on paper. Hield has improved each year at Oklahoma and shot a career high 45.7 percent from beyond the three-point arc while taking a staggering 8.7 shot per game. He scores from all over the court and brings in a level of magnetism about him on the offensive side. Players know that he can score in almost any way he chooses. That cannot be ignored. Putting him next to Mudiay would do wonders offensively.
He is a senior, 22 years old and small compared to your prototypical wing. He is going to have issues defending at the next level and learning how to contribute more than just as a scorer. Hopefully he has the quickness to be able to continue creating his own shot and that he still can bulk up just a bit more to be able to meet NBA level strength at the rim when slashing.
Weather he falls to the Nuggets or not is a very similar situation to Jamal Murray. This draft day could wind up being so trade heavy that no one will be able to keep up with who is going where. If this happens and the Nuggets have a chance to take Hield at the seventh position then they are going to have to make a tough decision.
Jaylen Brown, California
Age: 20 years old Size: 6’7, 225 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 14.6 points; 5.4 rebounds; 2 assists per game
Shooting Percentages: 43.1% from the field; 29.4% from three-point; 65.4% from the free throw line
Jaylen Brown brings every physical and mental edge you could want in a prospect. He is a monstrous 6-foot-7, 225 pounds at 20 years old. He has an NBA ready body to produce immediately at the next level. He brings with him the mental strength to be a high level student at University of California Berkley and still be one of the most scrutinized players in college basketball. He has hops that allow him to effortless glide to the rim off of either foot. The quickness, in combination with his athleticism, allows him to guard 1-3 from day one on an NBA floor.
But it has all been so easy for him so far. All of his strengths and mental fortitude have become his downfall. This is the issue that could take him from the third pick and fall all the way to the Denver Nuggets at seventh. Can he take the turn and become a tireless worker to reach his unbelievably high ceiling?
Last week he was quoted saying the following:
“They say Kobe Bryant wakes up at 5:30 every morning. So I’m trying to do the same thing to catch up to him,” Brown said on Thursday at the NBA pre-draft combine. “If that’s what it takes to be him, then I’ll try to do that, too.”
If the Nuggets have Brown fall into their lap, they would be just as lucky as they were in last year’s NBA Draft getting to select Emmanuel Mudiay. Adding elite athleticism and a potential All-Star caliber player to the already high upside roster Tim Connelly has created would be a massive step toward contending in a few years.
Henry Ellenson, Marquette
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snIfYj4RLcQ
Age: 19 years old Size: 6’11, 242 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 19 points; 9.9 rebounds; 1.8 assists; 1.5 blocks per game
Shooting Percentages: 44.6% from the field; 28.8% from three-point; 74.9% from the free throw line
Ellenson has a lot of Nikola Jokic in his game, but isn’t quite as controlled as Jokic yet. He can step out to the three-point line, taking 3.2 a game and making 28.8 percent of them. He carries with him an ability to handle the ball that very few big men possess, especially at the age of 19. He runs the floor well considering his size and has started to develop a solid low-post game.
He has a big issue athletically and has never been able to play above the rim. Centers can get by playing below the rim but as a projected power forward, he is going to have the same troubles Jokic is having guarding NBA level power forwards. His basketball IQ is high, but he still bites on fakes all too much and can over-dribble.
Ellenson is going to make a team very happy, but if the team that selects him are the Nuggets, it would be puzzling. He is an unpolished and not-as-skilled Nikola Jokic. It would be redundant to select Ellenson in the seventh position.
Kris Dunn, Providence
Age: 22 years old Size: 6’4, 205 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 16.4 points; 5.3 rebounds; 6.2 assists
Shooting Percentages: 44.8% from the field; 37.2% from three-point; 69.5% from the free throw line
Kris Dunn has the largest upside of any point guard in the 2016 NBA Draft. He is 6-foor-4 point guard who uses his 6-foot-9 wingspan to suffocate any guard courageous enough to venture into his reach. Defensively, he has immense potential to guard 1-3. Offensively, he shot 37.2 percent from three-point but was quite streaky getting to that number. He has explosion to play above the rim using his obnoxious length to finish with power.
While all of this sounds great, Dunn comes with an unpolished game all over the court. He gambles way too frequently trying to create steals. He would rather make the flashy play than make the easy play, which has led to him struggling to finish at the rim. He loses focus throughout the game, and his jump shot mechanics are constantly changing. If he takes the time to not change his game but polish it, then he could be a legit starting point guard in the NBA.
While lots of teams are interested in his services, he fits extremely well as a combo guard off of the bench for the Nuggets as he progresses his game throughout his rookie year. He has starter-level talent, but that will not be for another year or two. If the Nuggets find themselves in position to draft him, they will be jumping with joy.