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*Photo via EPA
The Denver Nuggets had another tough season this year, which led them to fire Head Coach, Brian Shaw mid-way through his second season. Shaw lost the locker room and there were rumors of the players quitting during a stretch in the season. Recently hired coach, Mike Malone and the front office will have personnel decisions to make draft night, such as if they want to deal their most talented players like Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and start over from the disaster that has been the past two seasons. Those players are likely to stay, due to Malone’s willingness to style his coaching around the team’s strengths. This means they should be allowed to play up-tempo once again, which was the main rift they had with Shaw, who made them play more half-court offense.
If the Nuggets do not make any big moves they will be looking for either a big man or wing player with the seventh pick. The top options that could potentially be available to them when they are on the clock are Justise Winslow, Mario Hezonja, Willie Cauley-Stein, Kristaps Porzingis, Stanley Johnson and Devin Booker. In recent mock drafts Porzingis has shot up draft boards due to recent workouts, and may not be at seven when Denver picks. Denver would love to select either Cauley-Stein or Hezonja if Porzingis isn’t there, but both Cauley-Stein and Hezonja’s stock has risen as well. The Nuggets may see Justise Winslow fall at seven to them and at that point they may have the choice to trade back in the draft where Devin Booker could come into play. If the Nuggets do not get the big man they desire with the seventh pick look for them to draft one with their second round pick. Players such as Rakeem Christmas, Jerell Martin, Dakari Johnson and Cliff Anderson.
The Nuggets are in rebuilding mode, there’s no way around it, but it will be interesting to see which way the front office and new coach handle their first draft together. Will they try to build around the young pieces they have and continue to grow or clean house and start new. Denver fans will find out June 25th.