March 21, 2013; San Jose, CA, USA; California Golden Bears guard Allen Crabbe (23) celebrates after a play as UNLV Rebels guard Anthony Marshall (3) looks on during the second half of the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at HP Pavilion. California defeated UNLV 64-61. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN’s Chad Ford released his second official mock draft Wednesday morning. Teams around the league are beginning to start their workout process which means it’s time to start talking about the draft.
Ford has the Denver Nuggets selecting Allen Crabbe, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard out of Cal. From Ford:
"Denver is one of the deeper teams in the league right now and might opt for an international player just to save a roster spot. However, Crabbe could be the one guy on the board who intrigues them. He’s an excellent shooter with deep range. It’s an area with which the Nuggets struggled all season and in the playoffs. Crabbe could be an inexpensive solution."
Crabbe, the 21-year-old guard, is heralded as a big time scorer with the ability to hit jumpers anywhere on the floor. He doesn’t have the greatest athleticism at his position but his knack for knocking down long-range jumpers is something that could benefit the Nuggets immediately. The Nuggets were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the regular season and were exposed for their lack of shooting in the playoffs when the Golden State Warriors went to a 2-3 zone.
There’s always the possibility that the Nuggets will draft an international player and stash him away in the euro leagues until he’s ready to play in the NBA but Crabbe is an intriguing option. Denver already has Evan Fournier and Quincy Miller as young wing prospects and Crabbe could cloud their minutes or be wasted away on the bench.
It’ll be interesting to see which route Masai Ujiri and the Denver Nuggets choose to go.
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