As the Denver Nuggets return back to the United States fresh off their trip to the United Arab Emirates for the NBA’s Abu Dhabi Games, the vibes are high and team morale appears to be flourishing. These kinds of trips can be amazing bonding experiences and opportunities to build chemistry.
The team seems tightly knit, which is great news with just a few weeks left until the regular season begins. But while the team is steady right now, there will inevitably be shake-ups and the bottom line is this roster won’t look the same at the end of the season as it does now.
Major changes may not be in order, but there will be tweaks throughout the season. The Nuggets’ core is likely intact, but here’s a look at three players on the current roster who are unlikely to make it through the coming season in Denver.
3.) Jalen Pickett: It’s time for this experiment to end
I had high hopes for Pickett coming out of Penn State but he just doesn’t look like an NBA-caliber player right now. He appeared to be coming on at the beginning of last season, but he didn’t take a big leap in the G-League, and then he had a brutal summer league this offseason.
He struggled mightily to shoot in the two preseason games so far and just doesn’t look up to snuff. The Nuggets gave Pickett a guaranteed rookie contract, which has another year after this one, but they need to upgrade his roster spot if at all possible.
Pickett won’t have any trade value, but he could be used to throw in some kind of deal at some point. If it comes to it, they may need to find a way to waive or stretch him somehow and eat the money. It’s a minimum deal and would be a small price to pay in order to add a meaningful veteran free agent or a player on the buyout market at some point.
The Nuggets need meaningful contributors off the bench this season and Pickett isn’t going to be one. They need to find a way to move on and optimize the end of the bench.