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 we will be breaking down the small forward position. While the consensus top two picks in the 2016 NBA Draft are both small forwards who can play at the power forward spot as well, we have included Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons into the small forward slot. The class is very top heavy but does have a strong role player type depth past the obvious first two choices.

Brandon Ingram, Duke

Age: 18 years old     Size: 6’9, 195 pounds

Last Season’s Stats: 17.3 points; 6.8 rebounds; 2.0 assists

Percentages: 44.2% from the field; 41% from three-point; 68.2% from the free throw line

Brandon Ingram is the prospect every Nuggets fan should be clamoring for in this year’s NBA Draft. Ingram brings extreme length with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, elite athletic ability, lights-out shooting, a tireless work ethic and a physical nature not seen by someone of his body type outside of Kevin Durant. While he’s only 195 pounds, it is incredible how well he uses his frail frame. His biggest drawback may end up as his biggest strength.

It is no secret that Ingram is razorblade thin. While normally this would be an extremely troubling issue with a marquee prospect it has never inhibited Ingram from playing the way he wants. He imposes himself physically onto his opposition. He screams through the paint with reckless abandon and finishes through contact. Being that Ingram is still at the ridiculously young age of 18, he still has time to bulk up his body. If he can transform his body, he could become an absolute terror going to the rim.

Building off of his game going to the rim is how that opens up his deadliest weapon. Ingram finished off his freshman season at Duke shooting a scalding 41 percent from three-point distance on 5.4 attempts per game. His mechanics are sound and his release point is borderline un-blockable. If he bulks up and gets even better at going to the rim than he already is, it will be almost impossible to contain him offensively.

Defensively, he has the length and quickness to stick with guards and small forwards. While he is still not at peak strength he will have a tough time down low against stronger and stockier power forwards. With the right strength training and the work ethic to bulk up he has the defensive potential to guard positions 1-4 in time. His defensive ceiling gives him elite two-way player potential.

While there is almost no conceivable way he falls past the Los Angeles Lakers, who are selecting second, the Nuggets only real shot at landing Ingram is through trade. While reports have come out saying the Lakers plan on keeping the pick and taking either Simmons or Ingram, there are also conflicting reports saying the Lakers have discussed trading the pick. While it is almost always too costly to trade into the top three, the Nuggets need to at least see what it would take to get Brandon Ingram into the Mile High City. No other prospect fits better for what the Nuggets are trying to accomplish. Ingram is the vaccine to what ails the Denver Nuggets and Tim Connelly should be doing everything he can to get Ingram to Denver.