The Denver Nuggets are holding another workout in preparation for the draft on June 23, with their next workout of the offseason taking place on Thursday, June 9.
Draft workout #5 (6/9) will include:
Josh Adams
Kay Felder
Brice Johnson
Chris Obekpa
Malachi Richardson
Geurschon Yabusele#Nuggets— NuggetsPR (@NuggetsPR) June 9, 2016
This group of players has a good mix of skills, something the Nuggets have tried to incorporate in their draft workouts.
Player | Games | MP | FG/FGA | FG% | 3P/3PA | 3P% | FT/FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
Josh Adams | 31 | 36.3 | 7.1/16.1 | 44.2 | 3.2/8.4 | 37.8 | 6.8/8.3 | 82.1 | 5.6 | 4.3 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 24.2 |
Kay Felder | 35 | 36.7 | 7.7/17.5 | 44.0 | 2.2/6.1 | 35.5 | 6.8/8.1 | 84.8 | 4.3 | 9.3 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 24.4 |
Brice Johnson | 40 | 28.0 | 6.7/10.9 | 61.4 | 0/0 | NA | 3.6/4.6 | 78.3 | 10.4 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 17.0 |
Chris Obekpa | 30 | 27.3 | 2.2/4.8 | 46.2 | 0/0 | NA | 2.1/4.0 | 51.9 | 7.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 5.8 |
Malachi Richardson | 37 | 34.4 | 4.1/11.1 | 37.0 | 2.1/6.1 | 35.3 | 3.4/4.2 | 72.0 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 13.4 |
Geurschon Yabusele | 34 | 28.7 | 4.3/7.9 | 53.9 | 0.8/1.8 | 42.6 | 2.2/2.9 | 76.5 | 6.8 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 11.5 |
Adams, a local player from Parker that played at the University of Wyoming, was a fine scorer in his senior season. With a green light from the perimeter, Adams shot 37.8 percent on 3-point attempts on his way to 749 points in 31 games, good for seventh in the country. He's not likely to be drafted, but this should be a good opportunity for him to make an impression for foreign scouts as well as to get experience against NBA prospects.
Felder finished second in the country behind Buddy Hield in total points scored, a result of being the main man on offense for Oakland. He's a small point guard, but he can get buckets with his step-back jumper and fearlessness on drives to the rim.
Johnson was one of the leaders for the North Carolina Tar Heels, inspiring his teammates with his energy in each of his 40 games played this season. Johnson finished fifth in the country in total rebounds with 416, using his vertical jump and motor to secure loose balls. The rims will remember Johnson's workout once he's finished, he's a powerful finisher in the paint.
Obekpa is a raw, physically gifted center that played for St. John's in Queens for the last three seasons. A native of Makurdi, Nigeria, Obekpa has been a shot-blocking machine, with 321 career blocks in 95 games. He's tall, measuring in at 6-foot-10-inches, with long arms that he uses to alter shots near the rim. He can't shoot worth a lick, but perhaps the Nuggets staff wants to get a look at him now and see if he's a player worth keeping an eye on overseas.
Richardson spent his freshman year at Syracuse, and is a wing prospect that has been impressing scouts in workouts. He has the measurements teams want in a wing, checking in at 6-foot-4.75-inches without shoes at the NBA combine with a 7-foot wingspan. He's a shot-taker, with historically poor shooting percentages. According to Draft Express, his 51.6 true shooting percentage is the second lowest rate of any collegiate player to be drafted. Teams Perhaps he'll impress the Nuggets brass in the workout, and with shooting efficiency like that, he sounds like a Denver Nugget already.
Yabusele is the player that I am most excited about. Physically he reminds me of Anthony Bennett, with his short (for his position) size and weight. Yabusele is about 6-foot-8-inches, and has weighed between 240 and 270 pounds, depending on when he stepped on the scales. He does have a 7-foot-2-inch wingspan, and he has good explosiveness to counter his height. He’s a player the Nuggets could draft and stash, let him improve on the defensive end (where’s he definitely not NBA ready) and then bring him over when they have a spot for him.
The Nuggets hosted a workout yesterday, with Juancho Hernangomez, Malcolm Brogdon, Demetrius Jackson, Diamond Stone, Stephen Zimmerman and Tyler Ulis in attendance. Be sure to check out the video interview Jeff Morton did with Tyler Ulis.