In one respect, and maybe one respect only, the Nuggets are an elite NBA team. Nobody drafts better than general manager Tim Connelly. He can find players, with and as proof. But with the 13th pick in the first round, can Connelly find a player who ends Denver’s playoff drought?
In this draft, what the Nuggets need is a little nasty. In-your-face defense is not their forte — one reason they don’t win tight games is they back down from a fight.
Everybody wants to find the next Draymond Green. Well, duh. And I’d like to wake up one morning and see somebody that looks like George Clooney staring back at me in the mirror. Dream on.
The reality? Denver might win between 45 and 50 games next season if it could complement its young core with a player who has the type of ornery streak found in Boston guard Marcus Smart. With that in mind, here are three draft prospects (plus a sleeper) that could bring a little ’tude to the Nuggets.
OG Anunoby, 6-foot-8 forward, Indiana
He has a big, classic basketball rump, like that of Charles Barkley, and uncommonly quick feet for a man who will probably take the court in the neighborhood of 235 pounds. Anunoby thinks defense first, and dunks on the offensive end. If you want somebody to go toe to toe with Green and the Warriors, Anunoby is it.
So whatap the rub? He suffered a serious knee injury in January, a setback that sunk Tom Crean as coach of the Hoosiers and clouded Anunoby’s draft stock.
Justin Jackson, 6-8 forward, North Carolina
doesn’t want to be in Denver. So get him out of town in a draft-night trade. Jackson, who helped lead the Tar Heels to the national championship, could fill the void in Denver coach Michael Malone’s playing rotation.
After talking with Jackson at the Final Four, I can’t sell you on him being ferociously mean. But I can guarantee he’s a great teammate who would bring Denver a high IQ and a solid work rate on defense, while focusing more on distributing the basketball than complaining about his playing time.
Terrance Ferguson, 6-7 wing, Australia
OK, don’t start with the shrimp on the barbie jokes. Ferguson is not Crocodile Dundee. He’s from Flower Mound, Texas. Rather than doing the one-and-done thing in college, he turned pro and went to work for the Adelaide 36ers.
He’s got legit shooting range and the athleticism to play good D. Well, isn’t 3’n’D all the rage in the NBA? But Ferguson only turned 19 years old this week. This would be a gamble on upside.
Sindarious Thornwell, 6-5 shooting guard, South Carolina
The NBA has extreme prejudice against any 22-year-old prospect still hanging around a college campus. So despite the fact Thornwell was the Southeastern Conference player of the year and led the Gamecocks on an improbable run to the Final Four, he’s nobody’s idea of a lottery pick.
So I’m not suggesting the Nuggets should take Thornwell at No. 13. But should he drop into the second round, he profiles as the overlooked prospect who allows Denver to benefit from the NBA groupthink. Thornwell is a bulldozer on offense and a sledgehammer on defense. He ain’t pretty. He doesn’t care what you think. He wins.
