Drafting is such a tricky part of the game, as projections aren’t always enough to tell whether a player is going to succeed in the NBA or not, and more often than not, most of it winds up being just wishful thinking.
A team that has gone through some interesting Drafts is the Denver Nuggets, who always seem to land a promising talent, but somehow wind up trading him away or just mishandling the situation.
This year, for example, they’ve landed one of the most talented prospects in the world in Michael Porter Jr, but the rookie hasn’t even been able to suit up because of his struggles with injuries.
Moreover, the Nuggets have drafted really good players over the course of the years, and today, we’re going to let you know about the dream team they could’ve had if they had kept all the players they drafted.
Note: We’ll include just active players.
Starters
PG: Jamal Murray
Mind my words: Jamal Murray is going to be an All-Star a couple of years from now. Murray is such a great off-ball scorer that most people tend to forget about his playmaking and defensive abilities.
The Nuggets’ backcourt is quite overlooked at times but truth to be told, the Canadian combo guard has all the tools to become one of the most dominant two-way players in no time, barring injury at least.
SG: Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell was a huge steal by the Denver Nuggets, but they instantly traded his rights to the Utah Jazz, a move they should really be regretting right now considering how talented the combo guard is.
Mitchell took the league for assault out of the gate with his scoring ability, leading the Jazz to the playoffs even despite the fact that they were missing Rudy Gobert for a huge stretch of the season. He was really snubbed from the Rookie of the Year award.
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SF: Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony is the one that got away for the Denver Nuggets, one of the greatest scorers in the history of the game and the guy that constantly led the team to the playoffs, even though he found no success at all.
Carmelo is still trying to get back to the league after being waived by the Houston Rockets, but with his scoring ability and with this supporting cast, the forward wouldn’t even have to worry about carrying the offensive load of the team.
PF: Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic was a huge steal for the Denver Nuggets and even though most insiders thought they were crazy for trading away Jusuf Nurkic to hand him the keys of the car, he’s proven to have what it takes to become a franchise player.
Jokic is never going to be an elite rim protector or even a slightly decent defender, but he makes up for it with top-tier playmaking and scoring abilities, being a nightly triple-double threat and a vocal leader for the team.
C: Rudy Gobert
Had the Jazz kept Rudy Gobert, they would’ve had the best rim protector in the league and arguably the most dynamic frontcourt in the entire Association, as he’s by far the best defensive anchor down low in the world right now.
Gobert’s development has even made him a legit offensive threat in pick and roll sets, let alone the fact that he dominates both sides of the glass and constantly scores off put-backs and poster dunks, while constantly leading the league in blocks.
Bench: Emmanuel Mudiay, Doug McDermott, Evan Fournier, Kenneth Faried, Juancho Hernangomez
This bench wouldn’t be much to brag about, to be honest, mostly because it features a couple of young players the team really didn’t know how to use anymore in Kenneth Faried and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Mudiay has all the tools to be a dominant scorer as he’s a great finisher, but he’s so prone to turning the ball over and his lack of jump shot is a huge liability, while Faried is such a tweener to play at the 5 but lacks the range to play at the 4.
All other spots would be properly covered, as Doug McDermott is flourishing as the standout scorer we all thought he’d be, while Evan Fournier has always known how to fill the stat sheet at either guard spot or even as a small forward.
Juancho Hernangomez, on the other hand, is still trying to establish himself as a role player in the league but has shown enough upside in both ends of the floor to be granted an opportunity even when Will Barton comes back from injury.
