If you were guessing where the Nuggets might go with the 15th pick in the NBA draft next Thursday — if they use it — 6-foot-7 shooting guard Timothe Luwawu wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
As a developing prospect he’s as intriguing as they come. He has elite size for his position, flashes elite athleticism and has a defensive presence that could grow into being significant.
But don’t tell the native of France that he’s a defensive specialist.
“Most people would say the best part of my game is defense,” he said Thursday. “But I don’t like to say that because when they say you are a defender, they will say that’s what you are. But I like to play defense and offense. I like to be complete in my game.”
Chances are he’ll start climbing up draft boards in the next week leading into the June 23 NBA draft because teams are going to get an up-close look at him. He arrived in the United States a week ago, he said, and his Thursday morning workout with the Nuggets was his first with any NBA team. He was headed to Phoenix next.
Luwawu’s game starts with his athleticism. He takes the ball to the rim to dunk it, especially in transition. He’s a solid catch-and-shoot player that is still working on an off-dribble pull-up game. The Nuggets put him through some drills to see how far he has come.
The Nuggets also put him through pick-and-roll actions, both offensively and defensively, Luwawu said. That jibes with film that shows he needs to continue to improve in pick-and-roll effectiveness.
Defensively, Luwawu averaged 1.7 steals per game for Mega Leks in the Adriatic League during the season. He has good length, which helps, and is willing to dig out steals. His team, however, was a high-pressure team that forced a lot of bad passes and got a lot of deflections, making steals easier for Luwawu. So a true view of his defensive abilities is still forming.
Luwawu averaged 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 28 games. The 21-year old says he’s ready for NBA competition.
“In the NBA I will just work on the little things that make me better,” he said.
And what are those?
“My handle, shooting mid-range,” Luwawu said. “Just to play right and make the right decision every time.”
Nuggets forward Axel Toupane was in attendance to see the workout of his countryman. The Nuggets also have another native of France, Joffrey Lauvergne, but Luwawu said he hasn’t spoken much to the second-year forward.
“I didn’t have conversation with him (before coming to Denver), but we have the same agent,” Luwawu said. “He used to play in Serbia, like me, so we talked two or three times but just about Serbia and Belgrade, not about the NBA.”
