It is officially draft day, a celebratory occasion for many and surprisingly pressure-packed for the Denver Nuggets.
After faltering in the playoffs this year with a (functionally) fully healthy squad, the Nuggets are back to the drawing board again. The hope? Improve the roster enough to right the wrongs of this past season. Defining what’s right and wrong for the 2023-24 Nuggets can be a complex question though, and that’s why general manager Calvin Booth is making the decisions. Not me.
The Nuggets have held a variety of perfunctory workouts for members of the 2024 NBA Draft class. Ajay Mitchell, Tristen Newton, and others have been in Denver’s gym, but very few players expected to be selected in the first round have done the same. With the Nuggets holding the 28th overall pick, their choice of talented prospects will be significantly diminished by the end of the first round.
Still, the Nuggets will likely select a player at No. 28, someone who will be expected to contribute meaningful playoff minutes by the end of their rookie contract.
Here are six players the Nuggets could select:
DaRon Holmes II – Big, Dayton
Age: 21 | Height: 6’9″ | Weight: 236 | Wingspan: 7’0.5″
Per Game Stats: 32.5 minutes, 20.4 points, 2.6 assists, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 2.2 turnovers
Shooting Splits: 54.4 FG% 38.6 3P%, 71.3 FT%, 62.7 TS%
The player most consistently picked for the Nuggets in nationally renowned mock drafts is Holmes, a versatile and skilled big man on both ends of the floor. Holmes played three years at Dayton and improved every single season, leading his team to the NCAA tournament.
Here’s what ESPN’s Jonathan Givony wrote about Holmes going to the Nuggets in his latest Mock Draft:
Most NBA teams are operating under the assumption that Holmes has received a promise from the Nuggets, as he canceled a half-dozen workouts shortly after the NCAA withdrawal deadline, a scenario that is similar to what we saw play out last year with Jalen Pickett.
Holmes (6-foot-10 in shoes) has skills as a pick-and-roll finishing, floor-spacing big man who can pass and create off the dribble, giving him intriguing versatility.
There’s an assumption around the league that Holmes won’t actually drop to the Nuggets, that he will instead be selected ahead of their 28th pick somewhere in the twenties. The Nuggets could choose to trade up and ensure selecting Holmes, or they could wait to see if he falls to them. If they did end up picking Holmes, they’d get a player that’s assumably ready to contribute sooner rather than later, playing next to Nikola Jokic as well as behind him in the rotation.
Kyle Filipowski – Big, Duke
Age: 20 | Height: 6’10.8″ | Weight: 230 | Wingspan: 6’11”
Per Game Stats: 30.4 minutes, 16.4 points, 2.8 assists, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 2.1 turnovers
Shooting Splits: 50.5 FG% 34.8 3P%, 67.1 FT%, 57.3 TS%
Filipowski, mocked by Givony at 23 to the Milwaukee Bucks, is better than Holmes in some ares offensively. He’s a more fluid player with the ball in his hands and can be used in a variety of actions. It’s expected that he will be a better open floor passer and decision maker by some. In other areas, he’s not as strong or stout of a finisher, nor is he a leaper on either end of the floor. His defense will be questionable at the next level, but there are few players the Nuggets could expect to handle offensive responsibility as well as Filipowski likely will.
Call this the Holmes backup plan. If Holmes is off the board and the Nuggets want another center, Filipowski might be their guy. He’s a low risk option who’s also probably a low ceiling player. If the shooting works out, he will be dangerous no matter what.
Read more about Filipowski, Holmes, and other centers here.
Jaylon Tyson – Wing, California
Age: 21 | Height: 6’5.5″ | Weight: 218 | Wingspan: 6’8″
Per Game Stats: 34.3 minutes, 19.6 points, 3.5 assists, 6.8 rebounds, 3.1 turnovers
Shooting Splits: 46.5 FG% 36.0 3P%, 79.6 FT%, 55.7 TS%
Tyson, mocked by Givony to the Boston Celtics with the 30th pick, is an interesting wing prospect with some versatility on both ends. He was more of a role player his first two years of college, but his role expanded last year at Cal to include some point guard play, post scoring, and a higher level of usage. He’s good at a variety of things, and that generally makes for a helpful NBA player.
If the Nuggets decide they need a wing that’s talented enough to pop at the NBA level but also mature enough to fill a role sooner than later, Tyson’s a good option. He should be available in this range, and you can never have too many good wings.
Read more about Tyson and other shooting guards here.
Tyler Kolek – Point Guard, Marquette
Age: 23 | Height: 6’1.3″ | Weight: 197 | Wingspan: 6’2.8″
Per Game Stats: 33.0 minutes, 15.3 points, 7.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 turnovers
Shooting Splits: 49.6 FG% 38.8 3P%, 85.1 FT%, 60.0 TS%
Tyler Kolek is a dream prospect for both Calvin Booth and Michael Malone. He’s a veteran point guard, crafty, competes hard, and makes great decisions with the basketball. He projects to be a solid backup point guard at the next level and can offer both scoring and playmaking to a team willing to take him. The only issue is his frame at 6-foot-1 with a wingspan under 6-3, which will make it difficult for him to guard at the NBA level; however, the Nuggets have several defensive wings that should be capable of helping out in the long run.
Would Booth draft a point guard and make it more difficult for Jalen Pickett to see the floor? That’s a difficult choice, but if the Nuggets find the free agent and trade options at point guard to be underwhelming, then perhaps they select a point guard like Kolek in the draft instead.
Read more about Kolek and other point guards here.
Tyler Smith – Power Forward, G League Ignite
Age: 19 | Height: 6’9″ | Weight: 224 | Wingspan: 7’1″
Per Game Stats: 22.0 minutes, 13.4 points, 1.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 1.2 turnovers
Shooting Splits: 48.1 FG%, 36.5 3P%, 72.5 FT%, 62.9 TS%
It seems unlikely that the Nuggets would select a power forward with Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and Peyton Watson on the roster; however, Smith provides size, athleticism, and shooting. That combination at 6-9 with a 7-1 wingspan is nothing to sneeze at. The vision of Smith is of one that could be used in a switching defense without giving up too much size in matchups against centers like Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Naz Reid on the Minnesota Timberwolves, all while spacing the floor for Jokic on the other end.
Smith is raw. He won’t play immediately; however, if the Nuggets decide they like the idea of developing a floor spacing power forward next to Jokic in the long term, there are few options better than Smith at this spot in the draft.
Read more about Smith and other power forwards here.
Baylor Scheierman – Wing, Creighton
Age: 23 | Height: 6’6.3″ | Weight: 202 | Wingspan: 6’8.3″
Per Game Stats: 36.8 minutes, 18.5 points, 3.9 assists, 9.0 rebounds, 2.2 turnovers
Shooting Splits: 44.8 FG% 38.1 3P%, 87.6 FT%, 59.6 TS%
Like I said about Jaylon Tyson, you can never have enough good wings. Baylor Scheierman appears to be a ready-made rotation option in the NBA will outside shooting skills, a bit of playmaking, and size/strength for the position. He’s a solid player in a variety of areas, though his athleticism will be called into question at the next level. The Nuggets may not care though. They need a player who can space the floor, and Scheierman can certainly do that.
The Nuggets do have Julian Strawther on the roster already, and I would hesitate at the need to add Scheierman when Strawther appears perfectly serviceable in that role. Still, the offseason is likely to do some interesting things to the Nuggets roster. If they want a shooting replacement for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in this draft, there are few players worth taking over Scheierman at this stage.