Are the Denver Nuggets the best drafting team in the NBA?
The 2018 NBA Draft was a great one for the Nuggets. They selected Michael Porter Jr. 14th overall, and he would’ve been a top five pick if not for his back injury. He slid down the board, and Denver liked his upside, so they took him. For an end-of-the-lottery selection, Porter Jr. was a homerun. Jalen Brunson went with the 33rd pick, but like Siakam, no one expected him to be an All-Star caliber player.
As for the 2019 NBA Draft, the Nuggets traded for Bol Bol in the second round. Bol was a talented player, but because of injuries, he slid way further than he needed to go. He’s turned out to be a solid player and deserved to go higher than 44th overall. The Nuggets did not have their first round selection, as it went to the Brooklyn Nets, who shipped the pick to the Los Angeles Clippers. The pick turned out to be Mfiondu Kabengele, who is not in the NBA anymore.
The 2020 NBA Draft wasn’t spectacular for the Nuggets, as they took Zeke Nnaji 22nd overall. Nnaji may not be on the Denver Nuggets for too much longer, but that remains to be seen. Safe to say, that selection wasn’t one of Denver’s best. Immanuel Quickley, Jaden McDaniels, and Desmond Bane were all selected after Nnaji.
In the 2021 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets took Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland. He was great for Denver in his rookie year, as he made All-Rookie 2nd Team after being just the 26th overall pick. He was traded in his sophomore year for pennies on the dollar, mainly considering his negativity towards the team and his limited playing time. Because of this, the Nuggets shipped him to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 2022 NBA Draft gave the Nuggets Christian Braun, who was a great selection with the 21st overall pick. Even though he was an older prospect, he still has a great future ahead of him, and he’ll be a bigger part of the Nuggets’ offense now that Bruce Brown and Jeff Green are off the team.
And that leads us to the 2023 NBA Draft, the most recent draft. Whether their selections turn out to be good ones will remain to be seen, but considering the Nuggets’ drafting abilities, there is reason to believe that their recent draft picks will be solid players.
Now that raises the question, are the Denver Nuggets the best drafting team in the NBA? It’s hard to say. A lot of drafting has to do with luck, and Denver is lucky. The Boston Celtics are a great drafting team, but not perfect. Same thing with the Los Angeles Lakers, they’re a great drafting team, too. The Nuggets are a great drafting team, and if they’re not the best, they’re definitely still one of the best in the NBA.
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The Denver Nuggets have their own first round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, which could give them another shot at a great player. Even though it may be a bit under a year away until the next NBA Draft, we still can believe that whoever the Nuggets select, they have a chance to be a solid selection nonetheless.