Denver Nuggets: Could Jarred Vanderbilt be a future starter?

Passing Capability

Vanderbilt’s stat of 1 assist per game in college is a little misleading. The guy can pass the ball.

He had the 3rd highest assist rate on Kentucky(10.7%) despite being the t-3rd tallest man on the roster. He also averaged the 3rd most assists per 40 minutes(2.4).

DraftExpress describes him as “[A] [p]lay making forward who’s best in the open floor but also capable in the half court”. They also say he is a “high risk, high reward” type of passer.

By adding him to the team, the Nuggets could boast 3 of the best play makers over 6’9 in the league. After a season where starting center Nikola Jokic’s combinations with Trey Lyles(6’10) and Mason Plumlee(6’11) in the front court resulted in the 2 highest net assist totals of any other 2 man combination involving Jokic(+2.7 assists with Lyles, +2.5 with Plumlee), pairing another big man with the big Serb will only result in more passes completed.

He also has excellent handles for such a big player. He was described by YouTuber BallislifeSouth as “6’8 Lamar Odom with handles” in the high school highlight mix tape assembled of Vanderbilt. If you watch the video, you’ll see the reason for the high praise.

Pairing his ball handling ability with his top-notch athleticism, he can blow by opponents with ease and either pass it off to a teammate for an easy assist or force his way to the basket for a dunk or lay-up.

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If he can recover from his injuries and add some weight while retaining his athleticism, the Nuggets could not only be looking at a future starter, but possibly a future star.