The Rookies Are Coming Into Their Own
The Denver Nuggets had an extraordinary 2016 NBA Draft, and they knew they struck gold when selecting Jamal Murray, Juancho Hernangomez and Malik Beasley.
The only question was: How are they going to find the minutes to play them all?
Murray was the only one that was getting consistent minutes to start the season, and it started off slow. But in the two most recent games Jamal Murray has seemed to get his confidence back and has been very aggressive ever since. He scored 10 points in the Memphis Grizzlies game on Tuesday and followed that up with 14 points against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
Juancho Hernangomez was a player that the Nuggets didn’t expect to have coming into the season, but he has shown nothing but growth and potential since coming to America. Juancho just seems to make plays, and his versatility is one of a kind. Against the Warriors, he played Kevin Durant well, as Durant had his 72-game 20-point-scoring streak come to an end.
“Juancho is a competitor. He is a worker, and he made Kevin Durant feel him,” Malone said following the game. “Durant is a top-five player in the world, but I thought Juancho had great discipline to stay down on shot fakes, and he has really good length, and I thought his length was effective against KD, and he’s not afraid.”
Malik Beasley hasn’t received many minutes, but once he finally did, he took full advantage, as he had 12 points in only 15 minutes against the Warriors on Thursday.
After seeing the young players play well, it brings a sense of positivity and a glimpse into the promising future of the organization.
