Denver Nuggets: 3 players to watch in the 2022 Summer League

Adonis Arms, G/F – Texas Tech Red Raiders

While I love Gillespie and Grady, neither player offers nearly as much upside for the Denver Nuggets as Adonis Arms out of Texas Tech, who took a much different path to get to this point in his career.

A product of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Adonis Arms was averaging less than 3 points per game in his senior year of high school while playing at Desert Vista in Phoenix, Arizona. As a result, he had zero offers coming out of high school, with Mesa Community College being the only program that showed any interest.

When he began playing JUCO ball, Arms was just 6’1” and heavily undeveloped, however, by his sophomore season, he was already an all-conference player. Which was enough for him to gain some recognition, transferring to D-2 program, Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho.

Where, now standing at 6’4”, Arms would go on to average 19.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game with .520/.333/.733 shooting splits. All of which was good enough for him to earn Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Then, after years of struggling to find his way in the vast college basketball landscape, Adonis Arms finally got his chance to play D-1 basketball, transferring to Winthrop in his junior season.

In his lone year with the Eagles, and first season playing Division I ball, Arms averaged 10.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, playing a vital role in Winthrop’s incredible run in the 2020-21 season. In which the team finished with a record of 23-2 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament after clinching the Big South title, only to lose out in the first round to Collin Gillespie’s Villanova squad.

However, instead of calling it quite, Adonis Arms opted to transfer to Texas Tech as a graduate student for the 2021-22 college basketball season. Where he would go on to average 8.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Starting in 25 of 37 games, and playing a substantial role in the Red Raiders run to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Now standing tall at 6’5”, 210 pounds, Adonis Arms is one of the more intriguing prospects on the Denver Nuggets’ Summer League roster. As an energetic swingman with the athleticism and versatility to legitimately compete for an NBA roster spot.

While he didn’t produce as jaw-dropping of stats in college compared to Gillespie or Grady, he still has tremendous upside and the physique of an NBA player. Above all else, he’s an exceptional athlete who can score off the dribble but thrives in off-ball movement. So, I wouldn’t be shocked if he took advantage of the opportunity (once again) and put on a show with the Denver Nuggets this summer.