Now that the insanity of the 2016 NBA Draft has started to calm down, it’s time to grade the Nuggets’ first-round selections.
The Denver Nuggets came into the draft with three specific needs: They needed perimeter shooting, after being the 26th-ranked team in terms of three-point percentage; they needed a perimeter defender, someone who could help lock down shooters behind the arc; and they needed a versatile stretch-four, a guy who could switch out and guard players outside the paint and stretch the floor on offense.
And by the end of the night, the Nuggets had addressed all three of those needs in the form of Jamal Murray, Juancho Hernangomez and Malik Beasley. Without further ado, here are your Nuggets draft day grades for each pick:
7th Pick: Jamal Murray — A+
When the Nuggets began their adventure into scouting the potential prospects in this year’s NBA Draft, there was one name that stood out amongst the rest. Jamal Murray was the third-ranked prospect on the Nuggets’ big board, only trailing Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram.
Rumors had been circulating about the Nuggets potentially trying to move up to either the third or fifth slot to grab “their guy,” and odds are that their target was Murray. For him to fall all the way to SEVEN is just as staggering as the ability of Tim Connelly to stay patient, not panic and hope his guy falls to their original pick.
Murray brings everything Emmanuel Mudiay needs in a backcourt partner. He is lights out from beyond the three-point line, has a borderline obsessive addiction to getting better, has the ability to play with the ball in his hands and scores in abundance for an off guard.
The Nuggets found a way to draft their favorite option without giving up any assets. In terms of value and production, Tim Connelly could not have done better.
15th Pick: Juancho Hernangomez — B+
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When talking about how to get the most out of Emmanuel Mudiay on the offensive side of the ball, the idea that reigns supreme would be to put four shooters around him and open up the lane.
Juancho Hernangomez is your prototypical stretch-four. He shot 35 percent from beyond the arc last year in Spain and his mechanics look effortless.
He’s a natural four, but Hernangomez has played anywhere from center to small forward, which makes him a great option in this new era of “position-less” basketball.
Another added benefit is the flexibility he brings the front office. Tim Connelly has said that the team does not know if Juancho will be with the Nuggets to start the year or if he will be stashed for another season overseas. Likewise, Hernangomez said that if he gets the chance to come stateside, he’d like to, but he understands that he could potentially be stashed until the 2017-18 season.
As a forward who can stretch the floor and impact the game in many different facets, offensively and defensively, it seems the Nuggets may have found their future replacement for Kenneth Faried.
19th Pick: Malik Beasley — A-
When the Nuggets saw that Malik Beasley was still available at 19, Tim Connelly must have sprinted to the phone to call the pick in. If not for a stress fracture to his right leg, he was slotted by most draft experts as a mid-lottery pick.
“We just thought Malik just had too much talent to pass up,” Connelly said on Thursday night. “We were shocked he was there at 19.”
Malik Beasley’s skill set has the potential to remedy a lot of what ails the Denver Nuggets. He is a lights-out shooter from the three-point line and can score from all over the floor, just take a look at his shot chart from his lone season at Florida State University.
Being able to score from anywhere beyond the arc is a trait that is highly desirable in today’s NBA. Add in elite athletic ability and quickness, with an intense motor and a higher basketball IQ than he is given credit for, and you can see why Tim Connelly is ecstatic about getting him.
Beasley is much more than a shooter, though. The fact that he converted at the rim at a 66 percent clip is mind blowing. He plays high-energy defense and has the motor to run through and around screens. He needs to clean up his fundamentals but projects as an above-average defender in time.
Not to mention, the kid can leap into orbit. Look at his poster over Brandon Ingram.
Another fantastic value pick by Connelly.