The NBA draft is set to take place at 6 p.m. MT Thursday (TV: ABC, ESPN), so what will the Nuggets do with the No. 26 overall pick?
A shooting guard to help fill the void left by the injured Jamal Murray? Another big man to alleviate some stress from Nikola Jokic?
Denver Post beat writer Mike Singer breaks down who Denver could pick by position. Take a look at his analysis here: point guards | shooting guards | small forwards | power forwards | centers.
Here’s a look at who national draftniks are thinking will land in Denver.
Yahoo Sports | Krysten Peek | Updated July 26
Sharife Cooper, G, Auburn
No analysis available. .
Bleacher Report | Zach Buckley | Updated July 25
Ayo Dosunmu, G, Illinois
“Dosunmu doesn’t have a standout skill, but his do-it-all skills might work in a glue-guy role. In Denver, he could help run the offense while Jamal Murray works his way back from a torn ACL and then shift into a complementary role focused on finishing, defense, spot-up shooting and high-energy everything.” .
CBS Sports | Kyle Boone | Updated July 26
Ayo Dosunmu, SG, Illinois
“Ayo Dosunmu came back to college as a junior to improve as a shooter and try to lead Illinois to a title. He failed at the latter but achieved the former, hitting 38.6% from 3-point range (after it was 29.6% the year prior) while improving as a passer and rebounder. Glue-guy potential here with him as he does a lot of things really well but nothing at an elite level. Someone who should stick and find success.” .
The Ringer | Kevin O’Connor | Updated July 27
Isaiah Jackson, F/C, Kentucky
“League sources say the Nuggets are trying to move up from the 26th pick into the top 20, and using young bench players or future picks as lures. Denver has historically drafted for upside, so if the pick is made here, Jackson fits the team profile as a bouncy big who could thrive if he’s given time to improve his weaknesses.” .
ESPN | Jonathan Givony | Updated July 27
Joshua Primo, SG, Alabama
“Adding depth on the wing will likely be a priority for the Nuggets, who are slated to be without Jamal Murray for all or most of next season and will see several rotation players enter free agency. Primo, the youngest player in the draft, might be a distance from becoming a consistent contributor, but he’s helped himself with a strong pre-draft process. Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has never been afraid to take a high-upside prospect and be patient with his development, and Primo has everything NBA teams look for at his position long term.” .
Fox Sports | Jason McIntyre | Updated July 25
Jaden Springer, G, Tennessee
“The Nuggets will be without Jamal Murray until after the All-Star break, and given the fact that guards Will Barton, Markus Howard and Austin Rivers are all free agents, they need to draft a shooting guard.” .
CBS Sports | Colin Ward-Henninger | Updated July 27
Cameron Thomas, SG, LSU
“Talk about a bucket-getter. Thomas has the game, and the confidence, to eventually become a 20-point-per-game NBA scorer — he just needs to work on his efficiency. The Nuggets, like pretty much every team, are always looking for bench players who can create and put the ball in the basket, so Thomas would be a gem this late in the draft. He can also help pick up the slack until Jamal Murray returns from his ACL surgery.” .
Sports Illustrated | Jeremy Woo | Updated July 26
Cameron Thomas, SG, LSU
“While Thomas’s inflexible, shoot-first approach has been a divisive topic and a long-standing challenge to evaluate, he’s inarguably one of the more consistent, accomplished scorers in the draft. The questions here primarily surround the translatability of his playstyle, and his general disinterest in defense and sharing the ball. But there’s some thought that he might fit nicely as an extra scorer on a team with an established pecking order, and the Nuggets fit the criteria there. It will fall on Thomas to become a more malleable player in the long run, but his production is hard to knock, and he’ll have much easier shot opportunities coming his way on a good team, in theory. Denver has historically been content to draft whomever falls to them, and Thomas would be a nice value play in this scenario.” .
