Denver Nuggets: 3 players to watch in the 2022 Summer League
Kellan Grady, G – Kentucky Wildcats
Another player who could turn some heads in the 2022 NBA Summer League for the Denver Nuggets is combo guard, Kellan Grady.
With a 6’5”, 205-pound frame, Grady is certainly a much bigger guard compared to Gillespie, which should help him transition smoothly to the next level both offensively and defensively. He also played big minutes in college straight from the get-go, unlike Gillespie, who took some time to break into the rotation at Villanova.
Similar to Gillespie, Grady is one of the older and more mature players from the 2022 NBA Draft class, having spent five years playing for two elite college basketball programs. First with the Davidson Wildcats before transferring over in his final year to play for Coach Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats.
Over the course of four years at Davidson, Grady started in 113 of a possible 115 games and established himself as one of the better players in the country. Averaging between 17 and 18 points per game in all four years, all while playing more than 35 minutes a night and shooting over 45 percent from the field and 37 percent from deep.
Which was good enough to earn him second-team All-Atlantic 10 honors in his freshman and junior seasons, and first-team All-Atlantic 10 in his sophomore and senior seasons, respectfully.
Then, after his senior year ended with a loss in the first round of the NIT, Grady entered the transfer portal and joined Kentucky as one of the more valued transfers on the market. Hoping to fine-tune his game and better prepare himself for the NBA.
In his lone season with the ‘Cats, Grady experienced what it was like playing with elite NBA talent for the first time in his career, alongside the likes of TyTy Washington, Oscar Tshiebwe, Sahvir Wheeler and Keion Brooks Jr. As a result, his role was much smaller than it was at Davidson, averaging just over 11 points per game.
Nevertheless, his smooth shooting stroke never wavered, making 45 percent of his shots from the field and 41.7 percent of his shots from beyond the arc on 6.2 attempts.
He draws a lot of similarities to Gillespie in that they both were five-year players who competed for elite college basketball programs. However, while Gillespie brings winning experience and perhaps a more versatile skill set, Grady is a far better scorer, specifically from deep. He also presents more value on the defensive end due to his larger frame.
Over his five-year college career between Davidson and Kentucky, Kellan Grady made 328 three-pointers and even led the SEC knocking down 42 percent of his three-point shots in 2022. He’s a truly elite spot-up shooter, a crafty scorer off the dribble and has the size and strength to evolve defensively, showing potential to become a 3-and-D specialist at the NBA level.
Plus, he’s already proven he can take pressure off the starting point guard and become a secondary ball-handler for a program, as he was forced into that role once Washington and Wheeler went down with injuries at Kentucky last season. So, Grady has serious potential to carve out a supportive role in the NBA, providing depth to one of the guard positions.
I’m sure it’s no coincidence either that he’s drawn comparisons to a former Nugget as well.
I suspect that Grady will be one of the more efficient shooters in the 2022 NBA Summer League for the Denver Nuggets, likely as the team’s go-to scoring option from deep.
He’s the most proven long-distance shooter on the team, and has been one of the nation’s best players for the last five years. Making him certainly a name to watch out for in the coming weeks as the Denver Nuggets look to finalize their roster for the upcoming NBA season.