The NBA Draft is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 29th and the Denver Nuggets currently own the 26th overall pick. The team’s needs may become much more clear after July 26th, as both JaMychal Green and Will Barton will have passed their deadline dates to decide wether they are opting-in to their current contract’s with the Nuggets, or testing free agency. At the same time, their decisions may not even matter in regards to the Draft. Tim Connelly could very well select whomever the front office deems the best player available, regardless of position.
The 2021 NBA Draft Class has been praised by many for not only it’s potential generational talents at the top, but the depth of quality players throughout its entirety. Every year we can count on a handful of late selections that make us wonder how so many teams passed up such obvious talent. Here’s hoping the Nuggets can find at least one of these aforementioned diamonds in the rough.
| Current Rank | Previous Rank | Diff. | Player | Draft Age | School/Team | Position | Ht. | Wt. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Cade Cunningham | 19.8 | Oklahoma State | Guard/Forward | 6'8" | 220 | |
| 2 | 2 | Evan Mobley | 20.1 | USC | Big | 7'0" | 215 | |
| 3 | 3 | Jalen Suggs | 20.2 | Gonzaga | Combo Guard | 6'4" | 205 | |
| 4 | 4 | Jalen Green | 19.5 | G League Ignite | Wing | 6'5" | 178 | |
| 5 | 6 | 1 | Scottie Barnes | 20 | Florida State | Forward | 6'8" | 227 |
| 6 | 5 | -1 | Jonathan Kuminga | 18.8 | G League Ignite | Forward | 6'7" | 223 |
| 7 | 7 | Davion Mitchell | 22.9 | Baylor | Combo Guard | 6'2" | 205 | |
| 8 | 8 | Josh Giddey | 19 | Adelaide 36ers | Guard/Forward | 6'8" | 216 | |
| 9 | 9 | Franz Wagner | 19.9 | Michigan | Forward | 6'9" | 220 | |
| 10 | 10 | Moses Moody | 19.2 | Arkansas | Wing | 6'6" | 205 | |
| 11 | 11 | Alperen Şengün | 19 | Beşiktaş J.K. | Big | 6'10" | 243 | |
| 12 | 12 | Corey Kispert | 22.4 | Gonzaga | Wing | 6'7" | 220 | |
| 13 | 14 | 1 | James Bouknight | 20.9 | UConn | Wing | 6'5" | 190 |
| 14 | 13 | -1 | Keon Johnson | 19.4 | Tennessee | Wing | 6'5" | 186 |
| 15 | 15 | Jalen Johnson | 19.6 | Duke | Forward | 6'9" | 215 | |
| 16 | 16 | Chris Duarte | 24.1 | Oregon | Wing | 6'6" | 190 | |
| 17 | 21 | 4 | Jared Butler | 21.9 | Baylor | Combo Guard | 6'3" | 190 |
| 18 | 17 | -1 | Usman Garuba | 19.4 | Real Madrid | Forward | 6'8" | 229 |
| 19 | 19 | Kai Jones | 20.5 | Texas | Big/Forward | 6'11" | 218 | |
| 20 | 18 | -2 | Jaden Springer | 18.8 | Tennessee | Combo Guard | 6'4" | 204 |
| 21 | 24 | 3 | Trey Murphy III | 21.1 | Virginia | Wing | 6'9" | 199 |
| 22 | 22 | Miles McBride | 20.9 | West Virginia | Combo Guard | 6'2" | 200 | |
| 23 | 20 | -3 | Isaiah Jackson | 19.5 | Kentucky | Big | 6'11" | 206 |
| 24 | 23 | -1 | Ayo Dosunmu | 21.5 | Illinois | Combo Guard | 6'5" | 200 |
| 25 | 25 | Sharife Cooper | 20.1 | Auburn | Lead Guard | 6'1" | 180 | |
| 26 | 26 | Tre Mann | 20.5 | Florida | Combo Guard | 6'5" | 190 | |
| 27 | 27 | Ziaire Williams | 19.9 | Stanford | Wing | 6'9" | 188 | |
| 28 | 28 | Quentin Grimes | 21.2 | Houston | Guard/Wing | 6'5" | 205 | |
| 29 | 31 | 2 | Josh Christopher | 19.6 | Arizona State | Wing | 6'5" | 215 |
| 30 | 29 | -1 | Cam Thomas | 19.8 | LSU | Wing | 6'4" | 210 |
| 31 | 32 | 1 | Joel Ayayi | 21.4 | Gonzaga | Guard/Wing | 6'5" | 180 |
| 32 | 30 | -2 | JT Thor | 18.9 | Auburn | Forward | 6'10" | 205 |
| 33 | 33 | Josh Primo | 18.6 | Alabama | Combo Guard | 6'5" | 189 | |
| 34 | 41 | 7 | Bones Hyland | 20.9 | VCU | Combo Guard | 6'3" | 169 |
| 35 | 37 | 2 | Kessler Edwards | 22 | Pepperdine | Forward | 6'8" | 200 |
| 36 | 36 | Day'Ron Sharpe | 19.7 | UNC | Big | 6'11" | 265 | |
| 37 | 39 | 2 | Jeremiah Robinson-Earl | 20.7 | Villanova | Forward | 6'9" | 231 |
| 38 | 43 | 5 | Herb Jones | 22.8 | Alabama | Wing/Forward | 6'8" | 210 |
| 39 | 42 | 3 | Aaron Henry | 21.9 | Michigan State | Wing | 6'6" | 210 |
| 40 | 40 | Neemias Queta | 22 | Utah State | Big | 7'0.5" | 248 | |
| 41 | 38 | -3 | Filip Petrušev | 21.3 | KK Mega Soccerbet | Big | 6'11" | 225 |
| 42 | 35 | -7 | Charles Bassey | 20.8 | Western Kentucky | Big | 6'10" | 239 |
| 43 | 48 | 5 | B.J. Boston | 19.7 | Kentucky | Wing | 6'7" | 185 |
| 44 | 50 | 6 | Isaiah Todd | 19.8 | G League Ignite | Forward | 6'10" | 199 |
| 45 | 52 | 7 | Rokas Jokubaitis | 20.7 | BC Žalgiris | Lead Guard | 6'4" | 194 |
| 46 | 45 | -1 | Jason Preston | 22 | Ohio | Combo Guard | 6'4" | 181 |
| 47 | 46 | -1 | Joe Wieskamp | 21.9 | Iowa | Wing | 6'7" | 205 |
| 48 | 51 | 3 | David Johnson | 20.4 | Louisville | Combo Guard | 6'5" | 210 |
| 49 | 47 | -2 | Greg Brown III | 19.9 | Texas | Forward | 6'9" | 205 |
| 50 | 49 | -1 | Isaiah Livers | 23.4 | Michigan | Forward | 6'7" | 230 |
| 51 | 44 | -7 | Daishen Nix | 19.5 | G League Ignite | Lead Guard | 6'5" | 227 |
| 52 | 56 | 4 | Juhann Bégarin | 19 | Paris Basketball | Wing | 6'5" | 192 |
| 53 | N/A | Vrenz Bleijenbergh | 20.8 | Port of Antwerp Giants | Wing/Forward | 6'10" | 200 | |
| 54 | 54 | McKinley Wright IV | 22.8 | Colorado | Lead Guard | 6'0" | 192 | |
| 55 | 55 | Sam Hauser | 23.6 | Virginia | Forward | 6'8" | 217 | |
| 56 | N/A | Jericho Sims | 18.7 | Texas | Big | 6'9" | 210 | |
| 57 | 57 | Matthew Hurt | 21.3 | Duke | Forward | 6'9" | 235 | |
| 58 | 58 | Trendon Watford | 20.7 | LSU | Forward | 6'9" | 237 | |
| 59 | 59 | David Duke Jr. | 21.8 | Providence | Guard/Wing | 6'5.5" | 204 | |
| 60 | N/A | Aaron Wiggins | 22.6 | Maryland | Wing | 6'5" | 190 |
Three players to watch at pick #26
If the Nuggets keep the 26th pick in this years draft they will have plenty of options. In the most ideal situation, seemingly sure-things such as Chris Duarte and Corey Kispert, or young players oozing with potential like Jalen Johnson, Jaden Springer, and Usman Garuba would fall to Denver. However, those prospects appear to be trending more towards being end-of-lottery picks than being available when the Nuggets are currently positioned to make a selection.
There will be many player profiles leading up to the Draft on Denver Stiffs. For now, here are three intriguing players that currently seem fairly likely to be unselected near the end of the first round.
Jared Butler, Combo Guard, Baylor
Butler felt like a lock to be selected before #26 just a few weeks ago, however, a pre-existing heart condition has prevented him from being cleared to participate in any basketball activities by NBA doctors. Butler committed to Alabama in 2018, but transferred to Baylor that same year after not being cleared by Alabama’s medical staff. He went on to play three straight seasons for the Bears that culminated in winning the 2021 NCAA National Championship, along with the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Award.
First and foremost, we wish Jared good health and hope he can continue doing what he loves by playing in the Association. Secondly, these unfortunate circumstance have caused Jared to begin sliding down many draft boards. This may put the Nuggets in prime position to potentially steal a well-rounded guard with lottery talent. If his heart condition is corrected or deemed safe to play through, Jared posses a combination of shooting, playmaking, and defensive chops that is much harder to find at the back end of the first round.
Ayo Dosunmu, Combo Guard, Illinois
Speaking of defensive chops, Ayo is excellent at navigating screens to stay in front of ball handlers, as well as stick with shooters off-ball. He measured in at 6’5” with shoes with a 6’10.25” wingspan at the combine. Dosunmu utilizes this length to rebound at a good rate for a guard, challenge shots, and generally disrupt offenses. If he can get a little bit stronger, he has the length to expand his defensive versatility and effectively switch onto small forwards in the NBA.
Ayo steadily improved throughout his three years at Illinois and, as a result, should be more NBA ready than a lot of the teenagers that will be drafted ahead of him. Dosunmu will likely be a secondary playmaker in the NBA, rather than a more traditional point. His spot-up jumper leaves a bit to be desired, but he can create space off the bounce and score at a decent-to-good clip from all three levels. The flashes of fearlessness he’s shown in clutch situations make me a believer in Ayo as a prospect with starting potential.
Trey Murphy III, Wing, Virginia
You could make a case for Trey Murphy III as the best spot-up three point shooter in this class. Not only did he connect on 43.3% of his three point attempts in his first season at Virginia, he also shot 50.3% from the field and 92.7% from the free throw line, albeit on only 1.6 free throw attempts per game. Regardless, he plays within the flow of the offense- keeping the ball moving and taking open shots when the opportunity arises. Murphy is also an above-the-rim athlete that measured in at 6’9.25” in shoes with a 7’0” wingspan at the combine. He is quietly a very solid defender that has size to defend forwards and athleticism to stay with wings.
After spending his first two years at Rice, Trey transferred to Virginia where he thrived in a lower usage role for the Cavaliers. If Trey is drafted by a playoff team such as Denver, he can continue to fill a similar role as the one he shifted to in his Junior season. This is the best way to set him up for immediate success and Trey seemed more than comfortable filling that niche last season. A perceived ceiling of a role player is likely the main reason he would still be able available at 26th overall.
