With the Denver Nuggets offseason in full effect, the front office has now set out to dissect the upcoming NBA Draft and the vast amount of players that are set to hit the market as free agents this year.
And as the Nuggets go, so do all of us here at Mile High Sports.
So over the next month we will be going position-by-position and breaking down the top five draft choices and potential free agents and their fit in Denver.
We have come to the final positional breakdown with the different center prospects available in the 2016 NBA Draft. With centers being available throughout the draft, all with varying skill sets, the Nuggets could end up selecting one of these players at any point in the draft.
Jakob Poeltl, Utah
Age: 20 years old Size: 7’1, 250 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 17.3 points; 9.1 rebounds; 1.9 assists per game
Percentages: 64% from the field; N/A from three-point; 69.2% from the free throw line
Jakob Poeltl, like many of his fellow draftees, is a prospect no one can agree on. He has been holding steady towards the front half of the first round and is slotted to go between five and 10 at the moment.
Drawing comparisons to Andrew Bogut speaks to his ability to play soundly at both ends of the court, bring vision and passing ability from the center position, and run the court well. That said, there are questions about his long-term ability to defend at an above-average level against NBA talent.
When it comes to upside with Poeltl, it all starts with his mobility and motor. He uses his quick feet and length, coupled with an intensity that is rarely matched, to gain position in the low post or rebound the basketball. He averaged 12.2 rebounds, 3.8 offensive rebounds and 8.4 defensive rebounds. Along with his 7-foot-1, 250-pound frame, he brings with him a fantastic work ethic and a mindset that is all basketball. Poeltl is driven. He has improved his free throw percentage — 26.1 percent from his freshman to sophomore season — and has polished his defensive game into a potential rim protector later in his career. Combine that with his quick feet and he has the tools to be a plus defender at the NBA level.
He does have questions that surround his ceiling at the next level. Does he have the “killer instinct” to become a player like Marc Gasol? Can he bulk up enough to bang down low against stronger centers? He has no jump shot at the moment and, while improved, shooting below 70 percent from the free throw line does not show that he is going to develop a jump shot anytime soon.
While Poeltl has the tools and ability to make a team extremely happy, it is his lack of shooting and seeing him get bullied in the post that makes me most nervous about his game going forward.
If the Nuggets drafted him, it would equate to losing minutes for Nikola Jokic and Jusef Nurkic and adding another non-shooter next to Mudiay and potentially Kenneth Faried. I do not see the Nuggets as the team drafting Poeltl unless it is for a different team who traded up to get him.