With the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League getting underway in less than a week, teams are starting to make their rosters official and the Nuggets became one of the latest teams to do just that. There was plenty of speculation as to which players may be getting minutes in Vegas and which ones had graduated from that scene.
Ultimately, the team chose to send every player with fewer than two years of NBA experience as they named three NBA sophomores and 11 rookies to the squad. Some players likely won’t play in every game and a few may just be there to get some burn for a game or two. But this is a big season coming up for the Nuggets and their young players and a lot of guys on this Summer League roster are going to be fighting for real minutes in the regular season.
Denver Nuggets Summer League Roster
#28 Trey Alexander, Guard (Creighton)
#23 Parker Braun, Forward (Kansas)
#34 Sy Chatman, Forward (Buffalo)
#9 Walter Ellis, Guard (Grand Canyon)
#7 Armaan Franklin, Guard (Virginia)
#25 PJ Hall, Forward (Clemson)
#14 DaRon Holmes II, Forward (Dayton)
#30 Gabe McGlothan, Forward (Grand Canyon)
#24 Jalen Pickett, Guard (Penn State)
#3 Julian Strawther, Guard (Gonzaga)
#5 Au’Diese Toney, Guard (Arkansas)
#4 Hunter Tyson, Forward (Clemson)
#11 Jaylin Williams, Forward (Auburn)
#10 Jahmir Young, Guard (Maryland)
Many of these guys are on two-way contracts, exhibit-10 deals, or they’ve just been invited to Summer League and/or training camp. Any and everyone will have a chance to prove themselves and earn a spot on the team, but the players to watch with guaranteed standard NBA contracts are Strawther, Holmes II, Pickett, and Tyson.
The 4 main players to keep an eye on
Those four players were all drafted by the Nuggets and the team is hoping that they’ll be meaningful contributors sooner than later. All four of them have a realistic path to playing time this coming season and Summer League is their first chance to prove it.
Ideally, they will look head-and-shoulders above the competition in Vegas and be shut down after an impressive game or two. On the other hand, seeing them struggle in these exhibitions against lesser talent would be fairly discouraging. Either way, it should be exciting to watch a Summer League roster with so many players that could actually play a big role for the Nuggets.
There are plenty of other players on this SL roster with upside and even hitting on one or two would be a huge win for the franchise. Another fun story to watch is Parker Braun and his quest to crack the NBA. Braun is the older brother of current Nugget and likely new starter Christian Braun.