With everything that has happened with the Nuggets in recent years, utilizing their limited draft capital has become paramount. Denver has traded away almost every meaningful pick they are allowed to within the CBA rules.
Beyond that, the core of the roster has gotten extremely expensive, which has led to the departure of key veterans and necessitated big roles for unproven players. For the most part, the Nuggets have done alright picking outside of the lottery.
Christian Braun has become a solid starter, Peyton Watson a solid bench player, and Zeke Nnaji and Jalen Pickett have shown some promising signs at times. That’s a respectable hit rate considering that the team has consistently been picking outside of the top 20 for years.
The Nuggets needed to nail the draft last offseason, even more so after trading three second-round picks to move up and get their guy, DaRon Holmes II out of Dayton with their only pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. But unfortunately, Holmes tore his achilles in Summer League and hasn’t been able to play a minute all season.
Trey Alexander wins G-League Rookie of the Year Award
It seemed like a lost season was in store for the Nuggets’ rookie class, but they may have struck gold after the draft. Trey Alexander, who starred at Creighton, went undrafted and was invited to Summer League by the Nuggets. Alexander looked good and the Nuggets signed him to a two-way contract.
Denver Nuggets Two-Way guard Trey Alexander has been named the 2024-25 Kia NBA G League Rookie of the Year for his time with the Grand Rapids Gold. The award, voted on by the league’s head coaches and general managers, recognizes the first-year professional who most significantly… pic.twitter.com/LikT9hduER
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 4, 2025
Alexander has had an outstanding year playing for the Nuggets’ G-Legaue Grand Rapids Gold and was named the Rookie of the Year. He played in 30 games for the team and averaged an impressive 25.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game.
Nuggets may have struck gold with Alexander
The 6’4”, 21-year-old guard showed a knack for scoring and a savvy ability to run the offense and manage the game. He’s still a raw player, but the skills are clearly there. If he can add strength and improve on the defensive end, the Nuggets may really have found something here.
There’s no telling whether Alexander will stick with the Nuggets, he’ll move on, sign another two-way deal, or get promoted to an NBA team. But this is an eye-opening type of performance for a young kid who was brought in as an afterthought.
The Nuggets need to improve the roster and they don’t have many means to do so. They aren’t going to have meaningful cap space in the offseason to sign free agents and they have no draft picks currently. Alexander taking another leap this offseason and becoming a promising young rotation player in Denver would be a massive boon for the team’s 2025-26 outlook and beyond.