Surprising Nuggets player awarded with unexpected in-season honor

One of the biggest storylines of the season for the Nuggets has been the development of the young players. Christian Braun has been a great fit in the starting lineup, picking up the slack for the departed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and then some.

Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson got off to a little slower starts, but they’ve eased into key bench roles for the team and have been providing solid two-way production recently. 

The team has made a clear commitment to the youth movement and for the most part, it has been paying off. Some growing pains had to be expected; these are mostly players who have never been part of NBA rotations. All things considered, they’ve taken ownership of their new roles and have hit the ground running.

However, one young player who failed to carve out a role for the Nuggets is Jalen Pickett. The team had high hopes for the young guard, thinking he might be able to crack the rotation and provide much-needed depth at the point guard position.

But Pickett had a rough summer league, training camp, and preseason and played his way out of any shot at meaningful minutes. Pickett’s guaranteed roster spot had come into question and many were wondering if the team would be better suited waiving Pickett and signing a veteran free agent.

Pickett wins NBA G-League Player of the Week

The Nuggets have not waived Pickett, they’ve got him playing with their G-League team, the Grand Rapids Gold. He won the honor for games played from November 8th through November 17th.

Pickett is averaging a double-double on the young season, putting up 26.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game. He has recorded a double-double in three of the first four games of the season.

It’s still a very small sample size and it’s just the G-League, but this is exactly what the Nuggets need to see from a young player. He clearly was not ready to contribute for the NBA team, but dominating in the G-League is the next best thing.

Maybe this won’t lead to anything, and Pickett never becomes an NBA player, but maybe this stint gives him the confidence and experience that he needs. If he’s able to build on this hot start, maybe at some point Pickett will be ready to play a meaningful role for the Nuggets. That would be a massive win for the organization.