NBA Insiders Amin Elhassan and Bradford Doolittle break down the draft profile, needs and potential picks of the 14 teams eligible for the NBA draft lottery this year. With some help from Chad Ford's Big Board, we take a look at the Denver Nuggets.
Personnel needs: SG, SF, PF
Major need: Denver's wing rotation of Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari are both entering the last year of their respective contracts and aren't getting any younger. While Gary Harris is a nice building block for the future, the Nuggets need to continue adding youth, length, and athleticism to their perimeter.
Quiet need: I've never been sold on Kenneth Faried as a starting power forward; while I love his elite-level energy and top-shelf athleticism, he remains a defensive liability, and offensively he's limited outside of putbacks and finishing out of pick-and-rolls. As a backup big, I think he's a great change-of-pace player, but he leaves a lot to be desired as a starter.
Not a need: Ty Lawson has been mentioned in trade rumors (most notably reuniting him with ex-coach George Karl in Sacramento), but I think he's a very good point guard on an extremely reasonable contract. Also, rookie Jusuf Nurkic turned out to be a gem of a find at center..
Depth chart
Jobs in jeopardy: Darrell Arthur is a free agent and really doesn't factor into the Nuggets' future. Similarly, Randy Foye's 2015-16 salary is non-guaranteed, and as such could serve as trade piece for either teams looking to shave salary or cheap veteran help. Will Barton is a restricted free agent, but he's the exact kind of cheap scoring a team needs off the bench (as long as its cheap).
Don't mess with it: Depending on what's offered for Lawson, you may not have a choice but to mess with it. But at roughly $12 million a year, he's a solid bang for the buck.
What free agency could solve
The Nuggets will operate as an over-the-cap team to take advantage of their exceptions, including the massive trade exception from the JaVale McGee trade. That will allow them to look for players in the trade market; it also means they can use their midlevel exception and biannual exceptions to sign talent.
How they draft
Where they draft well: This is general manager Tim Connelly's third draft, and last year was definitely the high-water mark, when he took Doug McDermott with the 11th overall pick and managed to convince Chicago to give up the draft rights to both Nurkic and Gary Harris, two players who both might end up with better careers than McDermott.
Where they don't draft well: Drafting defensive powerhouse Rudy Gobert and trading him for the rights to combo guard Erick Green and cash doesn't reflect well on the Nuggets' talent evaluation or willingness to spend.
Three best fits
Mario Hezonja (Chad Ford Big Board ranking: No. 8): A terrific shooter and athlete, Hezonja is the most natural progression from Chandler and Gallinari. For a player his size, he can really handle the ball and create off the dribble, and he proved his worth playing for Barcelona, one of the best clubs in the world.
Stanley Johnson (No. 11): Johnson's toughness and aggressiveness are both valuable, as is his ability to become a high-level wing defender. His collegiate 3-point percentage was decent enough for him to be able to be classified as a 3-and-D type player.
Sam Dekker (No. 14): This might be a bit of a swing for the fences, but the combination of Dekker's size, athleticism, and creativity off the dribble can make him a valuable prospect. Despite a hot March Madness, I'm not completely sold on him as a shooter, but the upside is definitely there.
It's a good draft if ...
What they must accomplish: The Nuggets need to continue building toward the future with the pieces they have, and specifically how they all fit together. The roster is going to undergo a lot of change over the next 12-18 months, and Denver can position itself as a team on the cusp of competitiveness if it builds with an eye toward chemistry.
Additional goals: One of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league desperately needs help in that category.