The NBA Draft is almost here, and it should have major implications on what the Denver Nuggets’ roster looks like going forward. The Nuggets hold three first-round picks in the June 23 draft — the No. 7, 15 and 19 selections — in addition to a pair of second-rounders.
Here’s who different NBA writers and bloggers have the Nuggets picking in the first round:
Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Sharp (SI)
No. 7 — Buddy Hield, G, Oklahoma
No. 15 — Skal Labissiere, F/C, Kentucky
No. 19 — Isaia Cordiner, G, France
Hield, who would provide outside shooting for a team that shot 33.8 percent from 3 last year, makes a lot of sense at seven. So does the idea of the Nuggets drafting a European player with one of their mid-round selections and letting him develop in Europe for a season or two, as Sharp suggests Denver will do with Cordiner. Labissiere is a project.
ESPN’s Chad Ford (ESPN)
No. 7 — Henry Ellenson, F/C, Marquette
No. 15 — Tyler Ulis, G, Kentucky
No. 19 — Ivica Zubac, C, Bosnia
You’re going to primarily see two types of players mocked at the seventh spot: a sweet-shooting guard or a big man who projects as a stretch power forward. Ellenson, a one-and-done player out of Marquette, is the latter. Ulis, 5-foot-9 water-bug point guard, could be a productive bench player in the NBA. Zubac is a “draft-and-stash” big man.
CBS Sports’ Sam Vecenie (CBS)
No. 7 — Buddy Hield, G, Oklahoma
No. 15 — Timothe Luwawu, G/F, France
No. 19 — Taurean Prince, F, Baylor
Here’s Hield again at No. 7. If he’s available at that slot on June 23, it’d make a lot of sense for Denver to snatch up the player who just completed one of the most prolific 3-point shooting seasons in college basketball history. Luwawu is an interesting prospect. The 21-year-old Frenchman has the size (6’7’’ with a 7’2’’ wingspan) and athleticism to be a small forward in the NBA. He also plays for the same Euro team, Mega Leks, that Nikola Jokic did. Prince is intriguing as well. He’s a 6’8’’ and seemed to do a little bit of everything for Baylor last season.
SB Nation’s Kevin O’Connor (SBN)
No. 7 — Buddy Hield, G, Oklahoma
No. 15 — Deandre Bembry, G/F, St. Joseph’s
No. 19 — Juan Hernangomez, F, Spain
Are you starting to notice a pattern at seven? The two guys listed below Hield are new, though. Bembry is a junior out of St. Joseph’s who picked up Atlantic-10 Conference Player of the Year honors last season. He excels at getting to the basket and struggles with his jump shot. It’s unclear whether he’ll play shooting guard of small forward in the NBA. Hernangomez is a 20-year-old Spaniard who projects at a stretch four. He’s got a nice shooting stroke and moves well for a man his size.
DraftExpress Staff (DraftExpress)
No. 7 — Jaylen Brown, F, California
No. 15 — Henry Ellenson, F/C, Marquette
No. 19 — Damian Jones, C, Vanderbilt
What will the Nuggets do at seven if both of the marksmen shooting guards, Kentucky’s Jamal Murray and Hield, are gone? DraftExpress thinks they’ll go with one-and-done wing Jaylen Brown. Brown is one of the most polarizing players in the draft. He’s 6’7’’ with a 7’0’’ wingspan and loves to get to the rim. His outside shot (29.4 percent on 3s last season) is a work in progress; the Nuggets, as mentioned above, desperately need someone who can make shots from outside. Jones, a 7-footer, would also be a weird fit with Denver, which already has two young centers in Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic on its roster.
Denver Stiffs' Daniel Lewis (SBN)
No. 7 — Jamal Murray, G, Kentucky
No. 15 — Deyonta Davis, F, Michigan State
No. 19 — Chinanu Onuaku, C, Louisville
It'd be hard to imagine the Nuggets passing on Murray if he falls to seven. The 20-year-old guard out of Kentucky can flat-out score, especially from outside. Murray took nearly eight 3s a game last season and converted at a 40.8 percent clip. He'd look great next to Emmanuel Mudiay in the Nuggets' back court. Davis is another one-and-done player out of Michigan State who could grow into a stretch four. Onuaku is a true center who can rebound and fly around on defense who's offensive game is a work in progress.
