The Denver Nuggets currently hold the 22nd overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
With the 2020 NBA Draft finally upon us, Denver Nuggets president Tim Connelly revealed what the team’s mindset is entering Wednesday.
In an interview with Nuggets.com, Connelly says that the Nuggets will be drafting with the ‘best player available’ philosophy. This may be surprising given Denver’s need to improve both their perimeter and interior defense but due to the Nuggets having a mid-to-late first round pick, it appears that Connelly thinks it’s safer to simply draft the best prospect remaining on their board.
This approach is only further supported by the unpredictable and frequent changes that are seen in regards to NBA rosters.
"“I think at 22 you get yourself in a lot of trouble if you go for need. Some of the biggest misses that I’ve been involved with on draft night are need-based picks… the fluidity of your roster is a constant, so the idea that what we have today is going to be there tomorrow or two years from now, that simply won’t be the case. So we won’t go need. We’ll get the best player available.”"
Another reason to target the best player available is simply the fact that, as championship-contenders with plenty of depth, there’s unlikely to be many minutes available for the player they draft this year. In fact, there may not be any minutes at all.
While the Nuggets have shown themselves to be one of the better franchises when it comes to developing young talent, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone is widely known to make his players earn their playing time.
“If you’re a rookie in Denver next year,” says Connelly, “you’re probably not going to play. When you do play, every minute, there’s going to be a lot of pressure on those minutes.”
Aside from Denver’s distinction as a championship contender, the short turnaround between the draft and the start of the 2020-21 season also presents rookies with an unprecedented obstacle. Having such a limited time to adjust to the NBA is another reason why Connelly believes that a rookie will have an uphill battle if he wants to make an immediate impact.
As of now, the Nuggets are just looking for self-motivated and affable prospects who aren’t overly egotistical, as Denver doesn’t have any players with a self-absorbed demeanor. In fact, Connelly would like to think that he doesn’t have many players that are flashy.
The Nuggets are “just trying to add another culture guy that can play a role.”
Due to the arduous process of gathering information of draft prospects during the pandemic, the experience has been “challenging” for the Nuggets and the other 29 teams. Connelly even admits that “it’s the wildest” and “the most unpredictable” draft he’s ever been involved in, unable to even guarantee that Denver will wind up with the best player available.
Fortunately, with so many different rumors flying around about the direction the Nuggets want to take in the draft, Connelly allows Denver fans to know exactly what to expect in terms of what kind of player they’re targeting even if they don’t know who the targets are.