How the Nuggets are Rebuilding with 2nd Round Picks

Second round draft picks have never been highly regarded in the NBA and overlooked by most fans and media. However, whether it be past or present, there have been plenty of good to even great players who’ve been selected in the secound round of the NBA draft.

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From NBA legends like Nate “Tiny” Archibald, Alex English, Willis Reed, Dennis Rodman and Calvin Murphy to current NBA stars like Marc Gasol, Draymond Green, Isaiah Thomas, Hassan Whiteside, Chandler Parsons, DeAndre Jordan and Paul Milsap, talent and value is clearly present in the draft’s latter portion. No other team has found talent late in the draft and utilized secound round draft picks better recently than the Denver Nuggets.

Since Tim Connelly and Arturas Karnisovas were tabbed as the Nuggets new front office duo in the summer of 2013, Denver has found some gems in the second round. Karnisovas’ influence has been prominent in terms of making Denver one of the best international scouting teams in the league, showcasing that with their second round selections.

The Nuggets have selected three players in the second round since 2013, also trading for Joffrey Lauvergne who was selcted by Memphis with the 55th overall pick in 2013. Denver traded Devyn Marble, one of their three second round picks since 2013 to the Orlando Magic as part of the deal to get back guard Arron Afflalo.

The other two players the Nuggets selected in the second round under the Connelly/Karnisovas regime look to be potential home run’s for the franchise, especially in the case of rookie center Nikola Jokic.

Denver selected Jokic with the 41st overall pick in 2014, getting what looks to be the steal of that class. Jokic is in the top five among rookies this season in rebounds per game (5.9), free throw percentage (78.8%), steals per game (0.98) and double-doubles (8). He’s also top ten in points per game (9.5), assists per game (1.9), blocks per game (0.54) and field goal percentage (52.6%) amongst all rookies this season.

Making the Serbian’s rookie campaign even more impressive is the fact he ranks 11th in offensive rating (117.9) this year, ranking above the likes of Draymond Green, Kyle Lowry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Jimmy Butler. He has already shown incredible passing, vision and three-point shooting ability for a 6’10” forward/center, to go along with a feathery touch and great hands. Jokic seems to be a Marc Gasol clone, potentially becoming the Nuggets face of the franchise in the near future.

Then there’s the other Nikola…Nikola Radicevic, Denver’s second round pick last year. Radicevic hasn’t yet played for the Nuggets, but should be joining the team within the next two or three seasons. I actually stumbled across Radicevic the first time myself last spring, while watching tape on his then teammate and now Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis.

There’s a lot to like about Radicevic, the Serbian lefty is a combo guard at 6’5″, 200 pounds and possesses a fiery demeanor. His game is virtually identical to Manu Ginobili and Goran Dragic, similar mainly in his ability to handle the ball and score off the dribble in a plethora of ways.

The Nuggets have shown they can create immense value out of second rounds picks, whether in a trade or selecting a player. Connelly and Karnisovas are ahead of the game in their thinking here, essentially adding young talent without giving up any significant value in return or having to develop a young player right away. Denver has utilized the draft and stash strategy to perfection with Jokic and hopefully Radicevic follows suit possibly as soon as next season.

The greatest part of the Nuggets utilizing second round picks is it gives them the ability to get a player like Jokic when his value is at it’s lowest. I mean, Denver took Jokic in the second round and a year or so later the team’s refusing to include him in a trade for Blake Griffin! The Nuggets bought low and now reap the benefits of Jokic’s value skyrocketing. Adding yet another way Denver benefits from building through the draft and actually using second round picks.

The good news for Nuggets fans is this formula for adding talent and rebuilding efficiently isn’t going to go anywhere anytime soon. Connelly just stockpiled two more second round picks for this year’s draft from the Thunder, trading veteran guard Randy Foye to Oklahoma City. Currently the Nuggets don’t have their own second round picks in 2017 or 2018, but they do own the Warriors second rounder in 2018.

Next: Denver Nuggets at the trade deadline

That gives Denver a minimum of three second round picks over the next three years, giving them three more chances at finding another gem like Jokic. This shouldn’t be hard given Connelly and Karnisovas’ already stellar draft resume, as well as the immense surge of international talent expected to be in the next few draft classes.

Denver is showcasing how teams can rebuild in a cost effective and efficient manner, oozing the value out of second round picks better then any other organization in the league. I look forward to seeing what other diamonds in the rough Connelly, Karnisovas and the rest of the Nuggets scouting department can find in the draft’s to come.