Denver Nuggets: 3 Reasons That We Had The Best Draft

#3: They improved their biggest weakness

Last year, the Nuggets shot 33.8% from 3-point range, good enough for 25th in the NBA. With the NBA quickly becoming a shooter’s league, that’s not going to cut it. The front office knew what they had to do in order to take a step in the right direction.

First, they drafted Jamal Murray who has drawn comparisons to Steph Curry and Brandon Roy due to his ability to shoot the ball. He shot 40% in college and absolutely torched several opposing teams from deep. Even if he is not in the starting lineup immediately, Murray is guaranteed to make an immediate impact with his great shooting.

At No. 15, the Nuggets went international and grabbed Juan Hernangomez, a 20 year-old PF out of Spain. Hernangomez is a great 3-point shooter as well and will be a solid stretch-4 in the future, something the Nuggets haven’t had in a long, long time. You have to like this pick because Spaniards have a history of translating well to the NBA. Although it is still uncertain if Hernangomez will come over and play with the Nuggets next year, they now have a shooter at PF that can help them for years to come.

Following that, the Nuggets went with more shooting when they selected Malik Beasley out of Florida State. Beasley is very athletic and can knock it down from long-range consistently. He also runs the floor well and plays good defense. With this pick, the front office is showing that they want to take the best player available. That was Beasley at No. 19. The Nuggets now have tremendous shooting potential at the shooting guard position.

Lastly, the Nuggets selected Petr Cornelie with the No. 56 overall pick. Cornelie is a 20 year-old PF out of France who again, can stroke it from deep. This is a very underrated pick by the Nuggets as Cornelie was in the first round of many mock drafts. He offers good upside because he moves well for his 6’11 frame. However, he will need more time to develop and probably won’t be ready to come over to the NBA anytime soon. It remains to be seen what kind of impact Cornelie will have for the Nuggets.

The front office has again emphasized with this draft entirely that shooting is their priority and where they want to improve the most.

Next: Conclusion