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.

Today’s breakdown will be of the deepest position in the 2016 NBA Draft: power forwards. With lots of different options and vastly different skillsets the Nuggets have a plethora of options if they are looking to add a power forward to the current roster.

Marquese Chriss, Washington

Age: 18 years old     Size: 6’10, 233 pounds

Last Season’s Stats: 13.8 points; 5.4 rebounds; 0.8 assists

Percentages: 53.1% from the field; 35% from three-point; 68.5% from the free throw line

In this day and age everyone is looking for the next big “modern day power forward.” Marquese Chriss fits that mold about as perfectly as anyone in the 2016 NBA Draft. He brings with him a ceiling that is right below Brandan Ingram and Ben Simmons with a skill-set that is just as desirable. Having a power forward that can step out to three-point range, beat you off of the dribble, and than add high-flying dunks and blocked shots to the mix and you have the potential for a monster.

Chriss has been blessed with extreme athletic ability. While he is still learning how to most efficiently use his athleticism, it is already easily translated to the NBA. He is an elite leaper, off of either foot, individually or both feet, and is arguably the quickest leaper in this draft, which shows in his 3.6 offensive rebounds per 40 minutes last year. Chriss also moves his feet staggeringly well, at times, considering his size and age. His footwork when attempting to contain guards on the perimeter or stepping into a jump shot is crisp. Combining that with his 7-foot wingspan and it is simple to see why his potential is through the roof.

Chriss also brings with him an NBA ready jump shot. He shot 35 percent from three-point range last year and with every viewing of him stepping into a three-point shot you can see how fantastic his mechanics already are. He uses his footwork coming off of screens to create his rhythm before the ball has even been passed his way. Once the pass is caught he is setting his feet, squaring up his body, rising up and shooting the ball at its highest point. Chriss has almost no extra movement to his jumper mechanics and because of his release point his shot is borderline un-blockable. He also is not just a three point shot specialist. Chriss biggest attribute may be his ability to face-up his opposition. Chriss has a deadly turnaround jump shot that he can take over either shoulder. Adding a semblance of a post game, even if not back to basket, has opened up his game immensely to use his quickness and physical, football-like mentality going towards the rim.

While Chriss’s game is highly versatile and sought after, he does not come without blemishes. Chriss is one of the worst defensive rebounders at his position. He is skinny and is lacking is basic fundamentals defensively. He has some issues staying focused and needs a lot of polishing on his entire game. The biggest issue with Chriss is that he has only played around four years of actual competitive basketball. Almost every issue he has could be worked out by just gaining more and more experience. It is hard to create shots for your teammates when you haven’t even played long enough to fully understand the dynamics set into play on the court which led to him having an awful ratio of 26 assists to 69 turnovers.

The skill-set Chriss brings to the table is a match made in heaven for the Nuggets. It will take time and probably a D-League stint or two to get him on the right path, but with his biggest need being good coaching, I see him as much less risky than many other prospects in the draft. While taking Chriss on as a project does not help the Nuggets get back to the post-season immediately, he does represent more promise than most of the prospects in this draft. If Chriss is available to the Nuggets with the seventh pick I would imagine Tim Connelly and Co. will be thinking long and hard about taking the versatile power forward.