What Experts Are Saying About The Nuggets Draft
Here is a what some people are saying about the Denver Nuggets’ 2012 NBA Draft picks:
ABOUT EVAN FOURNIER
Chad Ford, ESPN: I’m not totally sold Fournier’s game will translate at the NBA level, and he might end up being a reach at No. 20. But he is an aggressive scorer who was productive in Europe.
Mike Misek, NBADraft.net: Fournier is a crafty player off the dribble who has had a knack for scoring in bunches. He has a pretty looking shot, but his perimeter shooting numbers the past couple years have not been great. This past season he shot 28 percent from three, and in 2011 he shot 22 percent. For him to really succeed, he needs to improve his shooting from deep. And while young Denver GM Masai Ujiri is off to a tremendous start proving to be one of the sharpest minds in the business, we feel that this pick was a reach.
Hoopshype: Coming to the NBA next season or developing in Europe for another year? Very good feel for the game. Quite a promising player.
Daniel Leroux, RealGM.com: Evan Fournier should work well within their system and gives them a little flexibility in terms of when they bring him over. Solid but unspectacular pick.
Adi Joseph, USA Today: Fournier may be the lone non-U.S. college player drafted in the first round this season. He played last season for Poitiers in the top French league, and he averaged 14 points a game against strong competition. He has high upside and hasn’t had his 20th birthday. He can play either wing position and should fit well in the Nuggets’ system because of his slashing ability, though he’s not much of a shooter. As with many foreign players, he could be kept overseas until he’s ready to contribute. Grade: A-
WalterFootball.com: This is quite the reach for a guy whom I had projected as an early-second-round pick. Denver does have its core pretty much intact for next season, so they can stash Fournier overseas for a year or two. I would have much rather seen the Nuggets take somebody like Marquis Teague since Andre Miller is a free agent.
Sam Amick, CNNSI.com: Selecting French shooting guard Evan Fournier at No. 20 seemed fairly high based on what I’d been hearing. And with Andre Miller hitting free agency, why not take Marquis Teague to keep the 1-2 point guard punch concept going by pairing him with starter Ty Lawson? That being said, my intel on Fournier is limited and I’m curious to see him up close (he wasn’t at the Chicago draft combine earlier this month).
Kurt Helin, Basketball Talk: I like the pick of Evan Fournier from France, he’s pretty athletic, has handles and does a lot of things well. Which is a good fit on that roster.
ABOUT QUINCY MILLER
Chad Ford, ESPN: I love the Quincy Miller pick, however. He was ranked No. 17 on our Big Board and was a steal at 38. Teams had concerns about his surgically repaired knee and a so-so freshman season at Baylor. But the upside for Miller is pretty high if he gets totally healthy.
Mike Misek, NBADraft.net: Quincy Miller on the other hand was a tremendous value pick where the Nuggets got him. If his knee can improve, he has considerable upside. He is likely to get the kind of pseudo-redshirt year that Jordan Hamilton got last year. It is hard to see him get much time with Gallinari, Chandler, and Hamilton already in the mix.
Daniel Leroux, RealGM.com: I really, really like taking Quincy Miller in the second- the right type of risk for Denver to take.
WalterFootball.com: Miller must be kicking himself for coming out after his freshman year considering he would have been a top-10 prospect in the 2013 Draft. This is an outstanding value pick for the Nuggets as Miller could eventually become a steal. He certainly won’t make an impact anytime soon though.
Sam Amick, CNNSI.com: Getting Quincy Miller at No. 38 was good value.
Adi Joseph, USA Today: The second Quincy from Baylor in a row has tremendous potential but a bevvy of injury issues. He left early because of knee problems, more than anything, after not quite reaching expectations last season as a freshman. But his upside is about as big as you’ll find at this point in the draft, and the Nuggets can afford the risk. The only knock: He does a lot of the same things as Fournier, Denver’s first-rounder. Grade: B+
ABOUT IZZET TURKYLMAZ:
WalterFootball.com: I’m not at all surprised that Denver took another foreign guy. I don’t know much about him, but he does have the sweetest name in the draft.
Chad Ford, ESPN: Turkyilmaz is a project that the Nuggets will keep over in Europe for a few years. But there is some intriguing potential there.
Sam Amick, CNNSI.com: The selection of 7-1, 212-pound forward-center Izzet Turkyilmaz at No. 50 makes sense because length like that can always come in handy.
Mike Misek, NBADraft.net: Türkyilmaz is a 7’1 small forward who has played sparingly with Banvit BK in Turkey this past season. His body appears extremely slight so it will take some major weight training for him to make it.
Adi Joseph, USA Today: Turkyilmaz is one of those players who would have been picked in the first round a decade ago. He’s a 7-footer with skills to play on the wing. But he’s still very raw and may never play in the NBA. That type of risk is acceptable this late in the second round. Grade: B-