The Nuggets did not win the lottery. They never do.
Buddy Hield, however, could be a nice consolation prize with the seventh pick in the opening round of the NBA draft.
The Nuggets need a shooter. Hield, an undersized shooting guard who led the Oklahoma Sooners to the Final Four by averaging 25 points per game, proved to be the most prolific 3-point shooter to come out of the college ranks since 2009, when another guard believed to be too small to become a superstar in the NBA went No. 7 in the first round, as Golden State took a chance on Stephen Curry.
Yes, it would be crazy to believe Hield will grow up to be Curry.
It would also be cynical to assume the Nuggets cannot possibly draft a future all-star at No. 7.
It’s time for the Nuggets to stop dreaming and think big. A team that finished 33-49 last season was hoping to get lucky, with an assist from our old friend Carmelo Anthony, whose trade to the New York Knicks in 2011 increased Denver’s chances of winning the lottery this year.
But as all basketball fans in Colorado learned long ago: Never count on Melo for an assist.
It’s no sure thing Hield will be there for the taking June 23, when the Nuggets are on the draft clock. But if the stock of Hield rises, then perhaps Kris Dunn of Providence or Kentucky’s Jamal Murray slides to Denver, and they are both guards that could instantly make Denver’s backcourt much more dangerous offensively. Full disclosure: I have a mancrush on Dunn.
While the development of second-year guard Gary Harris was among the better achievements of new Nuggets coach Michael Malone and his staff, a legitimate playoff contender needs a bigger backcourt scoring threat. On a 50-win NBA club, Harris profiles as No. 3 in a three-guard rotation.
Although Dunn is portrayed by most scouts as a point guard at the pro level, I envision his real potential as a scorer working alongside a big distributor such as Emmanuel Mudiay. But to get Dunn, Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly would almost certainly have to trade up, possibly as high as the third pick currently held by the Boston Celtics.
One way or another, Denver needs to make a big trade on draft night. Hield should be nothing more than the second-best player that Connelly adds on draft night.
Go get a veteran. If Kevin Love cannot be pried away from Cleveland, make calls to Sacramento, the Los Angeles Clippers or anyplace else that might want to cut a deal.
With three selections in the first round and the trade-friendly contracts of Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried, the Nuggets have the assets to make a trade that allows a giant leap forward in rebuilding, while management in woebegone franchises from Orlando to Philadelphia keep making power-point presentations about the process, which tends to impress advanced-metric analysts far more than season-ticket holders who are buying $10 beers at the arena to drown their sorrow.
In basketball as in life, those who dream of winning the lottery are fools. As talent evaluators, Connelly and his staff at the Pepsi Center certainly are not fools. Count on the Nuggets finding value with their 15th and 19th selections in the opening round. Here are four players that fit the Denver mold, should they be available in those slots: French swingman Timothe Luwawu, Gonzaga power forward Domantas Sabonis, Washington freshman Marquese Chriss and Notre Dame point guard Demetrius Jackson.
The consensus among NBA draftniks is the top prize of 2016 is either 18-year-old Duke freshman Brandon Ingram or 19-year-old Louisiana State freshman Ben Simmons. Newsflash: Ingram isn’t Kevin Durant, and Simmons isn’t LeBron James. In fact, while I would be willing to wager there are All-Star Games in Ingram’s future, the holes in Simmons’ jumper and the lack of fire in his belly make me think the Nuggets might be better off with Nikola Jokic, who was drafted with the 41st pick two years ago.
What Denver proactively does on draft night, not the bounce of the pingpong balls on lottery night, is the key to this team returning to the playoffs next season.
The Nuggets don’t get lucky.
But, if Connelly makes the right moves, the Nuggets are about to get good.
