NBA draft: Why Nuggets are comfortable, confident with No. 26 pick

Nuggets president of hoops operations Tim Connelly is simply a scout astatine heart.

His sterling draught grounds (2017 notwithstanding) is simply a testament to the Nuggets’ dedication to the process. His unit relishes traveling to games, sometimes crossed far-flung corners of the earth, observing and researching imaginable NBA prospects. All that work, successful this lawsuit crunched into little than 9 months’ time, culminates successful Thursday’s NBA draught wherever the Nuggets beryllium with the 26th wide pick.

Dismiss the precocious first-round enactment astatine your ain peril. Last November, the Nuggets snagged promising guardant Zeke Nnaji astatine No. 22, past traded backmost into the archetypal circular 2 picks aboriginal to nab combo defender R.J. Hampton. A play later, Nnaji is apt headed for a important leap successful minutes, portion Hampton was the centerpiece of Denver’s blockbuster Aaron Gordon trade. There is worth to beryllium had, adjacent arsenic the draught snakes toward the 2nd round.

That is peculiarly existent with this draft. The Nuggets are comfy with their presumption astatine No. 26, a league root told The Denver Post, due to the fact that of the surplus of endowment expected to beryllium determination from the precocious teens until their prime arrives.

A study Tuesday from The Ringer said the Nuggets were funny successful trading up from their spot, nevertheless a league root indicated Denver has really fielded involvement from teams successful the aboriginal 20s that were funny successful moving down. New York owns the 19th and 21st picks, and a 2nd league root said the Knicks were funny successful packaging those picks to determination up. Atlanta has No. 20, the Lakers beryllium astatine No. 22 and Houston has Nos. 23 and 24.

Whichever squad oregon teams inquired astir moving down apt reached the aforesaid decision the Nuggets did: determination volition beryllium talented players disposable deeper into the draft.

That’s not to wholly regularisation retired a trade. Draft nighttime is fluid, and the Nuggets, arsenic evidenced by trades past twelvemonth (Hampton) and the twelvemonth earlier (Bol Bol), tin beryllium opportunistic. But 1 time earlier the chaos, Denver is comfy with its position.

That’s due to the fact that the Nuggets’ needs align with the draft’s depth. Denver’s frontcourt of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, rising prima Michael Porter Jr., deadline-acquisition Gordon and Nnaji astir apt person the Nuggets acceptable for years. It’s their backcourt, pursuing Jamal Murray’s ACL tear, that’s successful flux.

While Monte Morris volition apt commencement the play arsenic the team’s starting constituent guard, P.J. Dozier is presently the team’s lone shooting guard. That whitethorn alteration erstwhile escaped bureau begins, arsenic there’s increasing optimism a woody betwixt the Nuggets and Will Barton tin beryllium reached, according to a source, but arsenic of Thursday, Denver’s backcourt is thin.

If the Nuggets are targeting a shooting guard, determination should beryllium respective near connected the committee astatine No. 26. The Ringer’s mock draught projects Tennessee’s Jaden Springer, Alabama’s Josh Primo and West Virginia’s Miles McBride to beryllium available. ESPN’s latest mock draft has the Nuggets selecting shooting defender Quentin Grimes from Houston, who Denver hosted for a caller workout. They besides person guards Tre Mann from Florida, VCU’s Bones Hyland and Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu inactive undrafted astatine No. 26.

Both mocks spot highly regarded Baylor defender Jared Butler getting picked by the Lakers astatine No. 22.

The further you dive into the nationalist mock drafts, the much it seems apt that the Nuggets’ intuition is correct. The endowment apt disposable for Denver is precisely what it needs.

With Grimes, the Nuggets would adhd a smooth-shooting upperclassman with a strong, carnal presence. With Mann, they’d adhd a crafty, three-level scorer who led the Gators successful scoring past season. Hyland would connection the Nuggets different clever scorer with 3-point range, and Dosunmu would bring it connected some ends.

McBride, who worked retired for the Nuggets little than 2 weeks agone successful Denver, is simply a sleeper candidate. His twitchy violative crippled would adhd a level of changeable instauration the Nuggets lack, and his defence is relentless.

Regardless of which mode the apical fractional of the archetypal circular falls, Denver is assured determination volition beryllium endowment waiting for them astatine No. 26. Patience, successful this case, is much than practical.