Denver Nuggets: Five Important Players for the Future
Dec 12, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry (30) guards Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) during the second quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Nuggets, while struggling, still have a few quality assets. This begs the question of who is the most important player for Denver going forward.
The Denver Nuggets have not been the greatest team as of late.
They have struggled against a highly competitive Western Conference, and have been pretty average so far.
This being said, who is the future of this team? Who will be the group of players that will bring the Nuggets out of these dark times, and bring them back to greatness?
There are a lot of great, young talents on this team, and the future is definitely bright for the Mile High City.
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So without further adieu, here are five players that are incredibly important for the future of the Denver Nuggets.
Dec 10, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) shoots the ball over Orlando Magic center Bismack Biyombo (11) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
5. Jusuf Nurkic
Coming in at number five we have “the Bosnian Beast,” Jusuf Nurkic. He is important to the future of Denver for many reasons, but mostly for the terrifying front-court that could be with him and Nikola Jokic.
It is this idea that has sparked the nickname of “Jurkic,” as many Nuggets fans want to see this happen. I love the idea of Nurkic playing the center position, as he is big, and has a great skill-set within the paint.
He’s a lock-down defender as well, as he would be able to keep up with the great centers that are in the league today.
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When his production is put into question, the stats can be a bit deceiving. Nurkic actually missed a large portion of the 2015-2016 season, only playing 32 games.
With this in consideration, he still averaged over a block per game and 5.5 rebounds. During this season, he is averaging one block, 7.3 rebounds, and right at 10 points per game.
The main aspect of Nurkic is that he has shown flashes of becoming a dominant center, and the sky is the limit for him.
If Nurkic could become the center that he is capable of, front-courts everywhere would be terrified.
Dec 12, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
4. Emmanuel Mudiay
If this list was made at the end of the 2015-2016 season, Mudiay would have been right at the top of the list.
The reason for that is because he finished his rookie season much stronger than the earlier stages, and things were starting to pick up for him. It’s really a shame that he couldn’t capitalize on his improvement, as Mudiay has had a pretty rocky start to the season.
He’s had his great moments, including a game against the Boston Celtics in which he outscored the entire Boston team in a quarter, and there have been bad moments. He still struggles to make the right passing decision at times, and his shooting has not really improved.
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Mudiay still is at the number four slot because he has a lot of potential, and the Nuggets need him to improve.
Many assumed that he had the keys to the franchise when Denver drafted him two years ago, and while that may not so much be the case anymore, the Nuggets want him to be the point guard of the future.
We are only 24 games into the season, but Mudiay is currently averaging around 13 points, four assists, and four rebounds per game. His average amount of turnovers is actually down from last year, as he averages about 3 per game compared to 3.2 a year ago.
His field goal percentage isn’t the best, right at 35 percent from the floor.
One other thing that we need to realize is that Mudiay is only 20 years old. There is still plenty of time for him to mature and become a great guard.
Nov 5, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris (14) drives the ball around Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) during the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports
3. Gary Harris
He may not be as well-known as Mudiay or Nurkic, but Gary Harris could play a huge role in the future for the Nuggets.
He’s one of the team’s best defenders, if not the best, and he can shoot the three ball very well. One of the things that the team has the most trouble with is three-point shooting, but Harris is one of the exceptions to those totals. He’s been sidelined for part of the season, and it’s obvious that Denver misses his contributions.
When he was drafted in 2014 with Nurkic, many didn’t think much of him after a not-so-great rookie season. Harris proved people wrong in his sophomore season, as he looked like an entirely different player.
There are quite a few examples of the huge jumps that Harris made from his rookie to his sophomore season in his stats. For example, in his first year he only averaged about three and a half points, and shot 30 percent from the field.
Those numbers jumped drastically in the 2015-2016 season, as Harris averaged 12.3 points per game and shot 47 percent from the field. He also shot a very respectable 35 percent from beyond the arc a season ago.
Now his stats are down from last year so far into this campaign, but in the games that he’s played, Harris has battled some injuries.
He came out of nowhere, and he could be big in the revitalization of the franchise.
Dec 12, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic (15) shoots over Dallas Mavericks center Salah Mejri (50) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeat the Nuggets 112-92. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
2. Nikola Jokic
Known by some as “The Joker,” Nikola Jokic is truly a special kind of player.
He’s 6-10, and has a silky-smooth post game, but isn’t afraid to step out and shoot one deep on the unsuspecting defense. He’s a great defender, and can get the Nuggets a rebound when they need one.
Jokic really is a dream of a player, and he holds the potential to become a superstar in his hands.
The only thing that has to be done is that Denver has to use him correctly.
Jokic was a rookie last season, and actually finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting, trailing only Kristaps Porzingis and the winner, Karl-Anthony Towns. This being said, he put up a very good rookie stat-line last year, averaging 10 points and seven rebounds, while shooting about 51 percent from the field.
So far into this season, Jokic has improved almost everything in his stat-line. He is averaging 11 points and 7.3 rebounds, while shooting a good 54 percent from the field. This is significant because he’s only started eight games this year, so Jokic is doing this off of the bench!
The only thing that is down from last season is his three-point shooting, as he fell from 33 percent to 24 percent.
Jokic truly is a great player, and it’s up to Denver to use him properly.
Dec 2, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Houston Rockets forward Corey Brewer (33) guards Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) in the second quarter at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
1. Jamal Murray
Finishing it off at the number one spot, we have Jamal Murray.
This may not be much of a surprise, but with the recent play from “The Blue Arrow,” I really couldn’t put him anywhere else. There are many people who think of Murray in the same way people thought of Mudiay when he was drafted, as the guard of the future for the gold and blue.
He’s really picked up his play as the season continues, especially after a bad start. Murray missed his first 18 attempts as an NBA player, but thankfully has turned it around and is quietly contending for the Rookie of the Year. He was actually named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November, and he looks to continue making a case for the award.
As I stated before, Murray missed on his first 18 attempts this season. Even with this in mind, Murray is averaging right at ten points and three rebounds, while shooting around 39 percent from the floor.
The most impressive stretch that he has had so far was in a stretch of the final six games in November, he had over 18 points in four of them. One of these was a game in which he dropped 24 points in a win over the Chicago Bulls.
He’s found his jumper, and he’s adjusting to the NBA game, so Murray will be a dangerous player to the rest of the league.
He’s a great rookie to have so far, and this is only the beginning of what could be the Nuggets’ future.
