The selection of Peyton Watson with the 30th pick was a bigger surprise. A feisty, tenacious defender (think Facu but nine inches taller), Braun has the potential to make Denver’s draft night look more right if he’s given minutes and proves he can make an immediate impact on that end of the court. (Following the deadline trade for Aaron Gordon in the 2020-21 season, the Nuggets had a blistering 127.2 offensive rating with Jokic, Murray, Porter and Gordon on the court, per Cleaning the Glass).īraun is by far the most NBA-ready among Denver’s new rookies, and while Booth acknowledged that he will have to “earn” his minutes, it seems the Nuggets are ready to put him in the rotation if he shows his mettle. With their own first-round pick at 21, Denver chose six-foot-seven defensive wing Christian Braun (pronounced “brown”), who is projected to become a starting-caliber three-and-D player who figures to be a fitting complementary piece to offensive juggernaut of the Nuggets’ core. If there is any consistent throughline to Denver’s draft night moves, it is doubling, then tripling down on bolstering the team’s defense, albeit more in the future than upcoming seasons, with the possible exception of their first selection. Who among these players Booth and his front office staff prioritize in alternately keeping or choosing to let go may, in fact, be more revelatory of his designs on Denver’s roster construction than draft night was.īut while there is still plenty of time to make the Nuggets’ draft moves make more sense, Booth did undermine to a large degree the flexibility he created with the Green trade by locking up both of Denver’s first-round picks with draft selections.Īnd while there is arguably a valid defense for that decision given that the trade value of this year’s draft picks in particular may have been overvalued by fans relative to how their perceived worth by teams around the league (pick 30 in a “weak” draft not being seen as much of a deal-sweetener), objectively the Nuggets’ cabinet of trade assets has been largely depleted.Īs I wrote post-draft on Twitter, this ramps up the pressure on Booth and his front office to do what is now a harder job of finding more immediate roster upgrades. And unquestionably, the Nuggets still have many moves to be made, not the least of which will involve how to approach their own free agents.ĭenver will face some challenging decisions around their restricted free agents Davon Reed (highly likely to be re-signed), Vlatko Cancar, Facundo Campazzo and Markus Howard, and unrestricted free agents Austin Rivers (another probable re-sign), Bryn Forbes and DeMarcus Cousins. ![]() ![]() The free agency period does not begin until June 30, and months remain for additional moves to be made prior to the beginning of next season, which Denver should be entering into with a fully-healthy roster, including a Murray and Porter both rehabilitated from injury, for the first time in recent memory. In fairness to Booth and his new tenure atop the Nuggets’ front office, the 2022 NBA offseason has just begun.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |