It’s draft time, folks. The 2017 NBA season is officially over, and teams are getting ready to draft some of the game’s most elite prospects in hopes of a landing a potential franchise-altering superstar.
The 2017 draft has been hyped as one of the deepest in years. It’s a draft class littered with players of all shapes, sizes and makes.
The Denver Nuggets currently hold 13th, 49th and 51st picks in Thursday’s draft. There is expected to be a wide variety of solid talent available at pick No. 13, assuming they stay in that draft slot.
OG Anunoby is one of the most exciting prospects in this year’s draft, boasting freakish athleticism and incredible defensive upside; however, a devastating knee injury cut his sophomore season short, which has resulted in a drop in his draft stock.
If it weren’t for the injury, Anunoby would likely be a top selection and would be in the same discussion as premier prospects Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball and Josh Jackson.
The knee injury is the only real worry with Anunoby, one that may force him to miss most, if not all, of the coming 2018 season. That said, Anunoby’s upside is so high that he is still projected to be a first-round pick in the draft, and the Nuggets could be a potential destination for the 19-year-old.
Anunoby has been projected to be drafted anywhere between 13 and the tail end of the first round. Teams are still contemplating the risk versus the reward with Anunoby, but for the Nuggets, he makes total sense with their current situation.
The Nuggets don’t need to draft another 19-year-old, especially at 13. All of Denver’s key players are under the age of 23, and some struggled with limited playing time last season due to their youth, meaning whoever enters next will likely face the same situation.
Even newly promoted Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly doesn’t see their incoming draft pick making an immediate impact on the team.
“We’re not in a place now where we can draft specific for need,” Connelly said Monday. “Whoever we draft, whether it’s at 13 or we move up or move down, it will be hard for him to have a significant role next season.”
So, with the plethora of youth Denver already has on the roster, Anunoby makes perfect sense for the Nuggets this season and beyond if what he did in college can translate to the hardwood in the NBA.
First things first, Anunoby has the perfect body type for that of an NBA player. He stands at 6-foot-8, weighing 235 pounds with a wingspan of 7-foot-6. Physically, he fits the mold of the modern NBA player in that he’s lengthy, quick, and strong in all facets of his game.
While he may be physically gifted, that doesn’t mean his game is NBA ready. Anunoby’s game is very raw and one that will need a lot of attention at the next level in order to develop him into the most effective player possible.
His sheer athleticism for his size allows him to guard virtually any position on the court, thus the reason he is considered to have one of the highest ceilings defensively out of all prospects. His defensive potential in the open court and at the rim alone should have the Nuggets at least strongly considering jumping the gun on him at 13.
Denver ranked 29th in the league last season in defensive rating, ranking only behind the Los Angeles Lakers in that category. Anunoby’s defensive skill set would help the Nuggets in every aspect and would give head coach Michael Malone the defensive Swiss army knife he has been longing for since his tenure with the team started.
While his defensive his solid, his offensive game needs some TLC. Anunoby struggles and finding and creating his own shot; however, that will not be a problem thanks to their playmaking big, Nikola Jokic.
With a player efficiency rating of 26.40, Jokic is one of the most efficient and effective players in the league at just 22 years old. Jokic is capable of creating a shot or space for everyone on the court, making for what could be a great pairing in Anunoby’s defensive skills and Jokic’s offensive wizardry.
Now, just because Anunoby struggles at creating his shot, doesn’t mean he can’t score. Anunoby averaged 11.1 points per game in his sophomore season at Indiana. While it’s not overly impressive, it is still a solid mark to enter the NBA with.
Since he’s an athletic freak, Anunoby has the potential to blossom into a dominant offensive weapon. In college, Anunoby threw down vicious one-handed jams over his opponents and posterized others, compiling quite the offensive highlight reel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOX0u7T4Kbo
Anunoby is an extremely attractive prospect for the Nuggets to consider taking with the 13th overall pick. He helps fill a majority of the team’s needs defensively on the surface and would slide in nicely with what the Nuggets do offensively. In addition, Denver’s free-flowing offense would yield a handful of opportunities for Anunoby to develop an important role in the Nuggets offense.
The only limiting factor between Anunoby and potential NBA stardom is the tear in his knee. While drafting any player coming off an injury is a risk, Anunoby’s situation is one worth taking.
If Anunoby were to sit out a majority or all of his rookie season, it would not be the worst thing in the world for Denver. The Nuggets are already in a position of having too much young talent. The addition of Anunoby would allow Denver some breathing room to decide how they want to formulate their young nucleus on the hardwood.
Anunoby is a high risk, high reward prospect, and one the Nuggets should consider taking with the 13th pick.
Yes, this is considered a deep draft. But 13 players deep? Probably not. Anunoby has the skills to be the next big thing in the NBA, and the Nuggets would be getting a top-10 value at 13 of they were to select him.
With a significant knee injury as the only knock on his resume, Anunoby has all the intangibles to be a future star in the league. The Nuggets would be fools not to take a long, hard look at possibly drafting the player with arguably the biggest potential in the draft.