Nugg Love
Fansided

Finding the good in Denver’s draft day

By Jordan Reid

Mar 22, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Trey Lyles (41) reacts to a call during the first half against the New York Knicks at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Trey Lyles (41) reacts to a call during the first half against the New York Knicks at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Jun 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Donovan Mitchell (Louisville) is introduced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as the number thirteen overall pick to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Donovan Mitchell (Louisville) is introduced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as the number thirteen overall pick to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Denver had a controversial draft.

The reaction on social media outlets to Denver’s draft selection was nearly all negative. Nuggets fans were not happy with how the Nuggets handled the 2017 draft.

More than finding a good pick at number 13, I think fans were hoping for a big trade. Denver was engaged in talks to bring in Butler or Bledsoe. Frankly, Chicago’s price was too high and Denver didn’t go for it.

Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets /

Denver Nuggets

I want to explain why Denver’s draft day may not have been a failure.

First, if we did take a good player at 13, it’s likely they wouldn’t have played this season due to the depth of this Denver roster. This year we may not see Lydon or Morris play. It is likely that Lyles will make Denver’s rotation though.

Also, with two NBA seasons under his belt, Lyles is still only 21 years old. Trey Lyles is younger than many players picked in this year’s draft.

So, with the trade we did get one player ready to contribute and two that may make the team down the road.

Another concern by many is that Denver now has a loaded front court after adding two power forwards in the first round. This concern is legitimate.

However, consider the possibility of Denver trying to trade for Paul Millsap. Denver now has accrued a lot of young power forwards to lure Atlanta into a Millsap trade before free agency.

After Connelly nailed the last three drafts, seeing this year’s was concerning for Nuggets fans. The Nuggets front office may not have messed up though. The Nuggets had less to work with this year and are in a different position as a franchise.

The next couple weeks it will be interesting to see how Denver utilizes their assets. They have enough to make a big deal, but it’s yet to be seen if they can actually close one out.