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.
Henry Ellenson, Marquette
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snIfYj4RLcQ
Age: 19 years old Size: 6’11, 242 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 19 points; 9.9 rebounds; 1.8 assists per game
Percentages: 44.6% from the field; 28.8% from three-point; 74.9% from the free throw line
Henry Ellenson is now the only player to individually workout for the Denver Nuggets. He brings with him the ability to stretch the floor out to the three-point line and has solid court vision. He plays with an extremely high IQ and has shown a bit more athletic ability and shooting touch in recent workouts than he was thought to have. Having a plethora of versatility in his game is what has made him such an attractive prospect. But his big issue is his lack of explosion. He is being slotted to go anywhere from six to 15 in the NBA Draft.
At first I found it confusing why they would bring in Ellenson for an individual workout, but if he has been testing well when it comes to his lateral quickness and the Nuggets think they have a 6-foot-11 stretch four on their hands who can switch on the perimeter defensively, then how could you not pair him with Mudiay and Jokic? Ellenson has all the traits to be a modern-day power forward and even believes that he is more suited to play that way himself.
My colleague, Aniello Piro, had obtained a great quote from Ellenson when he was asked if he sees himself as a power forward or center in the NBA. He responded:
“I think I can play both. I think the way the game is going, at the four spot, they like someone versatile and that fits me well. I do see my self as a forward at the next level.”
Being able to move fluidly with or without the ball, take the ball up the court, or pass the ball ahead in transition is an extremely important skill in this day in the NBA. Being able to have your power forward AND center play this way has become a staple of what make the Golden State Warriors who they are. That type of versatility and ability to push the ball creates mismatches all over the court and allows the Nuggets to take advantage of wherever the best mismatch is at.
For all the times that Malone has preached “turning defense into offense,” there is truly no better way to run off of defensive rebounds than to have anyone on the court able to pass the ball ahead. Matching Ellenson with this Nuggets roster makes more sense then initially thought.
Cheick Diallo, Kansas
Age: 19 years old Size: 6’9, 219 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 3.0 points; 2.5 rebounds; 0 assists per game.
Percentages: 56.9% from the field; N/A from three-point; 56.6% from the free throw line
Chieck Diallo is everything Kenneth Faried was coming out of college except for the slight fact that Diallo is only 19 years old when Faried was a senior. Diallo is another 6-foot-9 tweener who really does not play either frontcourt position very well. What he does have is an incredible motor, a 7-foot-4.5 inch wingspan, and a defensive ceiling that is quite immense.
Diallo has epic instincts defensively. The way he can accumulate steals and rise up to block shots reminds me of Nerlens Noel. He understands how to play proper weak-side help defense and has the foot speed to switch onto smaller and quicker guards on the perimeter. Using his insane wingspan, he contests and recovers extremely well on perimeter jump shots and there have been rumors that he has already started to develop his jump shot as well. He is also a terror when running toward the rim scoring at an astonishing 1.353 points per possession when rim running. As a target in the pick and roll he could be deadly. He possesses extremely soft hands and great body control.
Diallo’s biggest issues will stem from his lack of experience. He will not be able to come in and immediately contribute. He has the tools to become an intimidating defender and may be able to use his motor and length to score in different ways but as of right now he is a project. With the Nuggets already with a vast amount of front court players on the roster its hard to envision the Nuggets reaching on someone like Diallo.
Thon Maker, Canada
![Thon Maker- Milwaukee Bucks Hype Mix [HD] #NextBigThing](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pM3Hx5LNImI/hqdefault.jpg)
Age: 19 years old Size: 7’1, 225 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 11.2 points; 6.7 rebounds; 2.1 blocks
Percentages: (No percentages available)
Thon Maker is the ultimate wildcard. While it is known that he is not the infamous mixtape version of himself, he does bring an interesting skillset to that table for whoever drafts him. He seems to be almost a lock as a late first-round pick, but if he does not workout well, he could end up as a steal in the second round. Bringing immense length and great mobility in space with an added jump shot he projects as a modern day NBA center.
Being able to run the floor like a galloping gazelle is Maker’s biggest attribute. He consistently gains position and creates mismatches by running the floor hard. He is an above average leaper in space and has a mid range jumper to stretch the floor just that much more. Being able to block shots and provide some level of rim protection is huge.
Maker is absolutely rail thin. He constantly gets bullied around the rim and struggles to finish. While he has the physical tools, outside of bulk, to make up for his issues he does not get an opportunity to fully display his physical talents because his court awareness is so awful. Maker needs to polish every aspect of his game and learn to play with a much higher IQ. As of right now, he is a complete non-passer and a bit of a black hole where all offense goes to die. In 1,708 minutes played he has 50 assists to 171 turnovers. It does not take a mathematician to explain how awful of a ratio that is.
I could see the Nuggets taking a flier on Maker if he falls out of the first round but with so many other talents around picks 15 and 19, I would be surprised to see Maker in blue and gold next season.
Ante Zizic, Croatia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx9Fu7NzwtY
Age: 19 years old Size: 6’11, 240 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 14.4 points; 8.5 rebounds; 0.7 assists per game
Percentages: 65.3% from the field; N/A from three-point; 72.4 percent from the free throw line
Ante Zizic is your old school center through and through. He does not bring with him much of a jump shot and is your stereotypical low-post center. He is a great rebounder and moves well for his size. While he is not too versatile, he could be a good rim-protecting backup center in time.
He sports a 7-foot-3 wingspan and moves incredibly well. He has a nose for the ball and tends to find himself right in the middle of the action more often then not. A lot of his magnetism towards the ball has to do with his motor. He never stops. While he is not a magnificent athlete he can play above the rim to a degree. He also carries experience in droves. He has been playing professionally in Croatia since before he was 15 years old.
While all of that sounds fantastic, he does not bring any versatility to his game. He does not handle the ball well or have vision to create space. He struggles to score outside of the restricted area and is not an explosive athlete. He has a lot of development left and for a team like the Nuggets, he is not needed. Chalk me up as a skeptic that we even think about Zizic this year’s draft.