National Basketball Association

Reevaluating the Ceilings and Floors of Young Denver Nuggets

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Mar 21, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) works against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (9) during the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 124-91. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets boast an incredibly young and talented roster. Here we will examine the ceilings and floors of each young player currently on the Nuggets roster.

Development is key to team success. For a small to mid-market team like the Denver Nuggets, its essential to build a strong core through the draft and player development as opposed to free agency. As evident by the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Toronto Raptors, player development can guide a team to playoff contention.

So far, Head Coach Mike Malone and his staff have been able to bring out some of the best in young players like Gary Harris and Nikola Jokic. If the team can continue to develop quality young players, the Nuggets could be knocking on the door of the Western Conference Playoff race soon.

Let’s get started.

Mar 19, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Jamal Murray (23) shoots the ball against Indiana Hoosiers guard Yogi Ferrell (11) in the second half during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Jamal Murray

2015-2016 Stats Per Game: 20.0 PTS, 5.2 RBS, 2.2 AST, 45.4% FG, 40.8% 3PT, 1.0 STL, 0.3 BLK, 22.7 PER

Ceiling: Brandon Roy/D’Angelo Russel

Like Russell and Roy, Murray is a ball-dominant guard who excels in shooting. Just as Roy and Russell have been labeled for their athletic and defensive limitations, all three have the ability to go off on any given night.

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While an excellent shooter, Murray can also score in the mid-range or driving to the hoop.

Floor: Marcus Thornton

Marcus Thornton made a career out of putting the ball in the basket and amassing high scoring totals. His skills outside of scoring are severely limited.

Like Thornton, Murray knows how to score and penetrate defenses. As evident by his Summer League performance, Murray’s trigger-happy shooting can take away shots from teammates and create a negative net-impact when he’s on the court. if Murray proves incapable of doing much else than scoring, his role could be limited to off the bench.

Jul 20, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USA guard Kyrie Irving (10) tries to get by guard Gary Harris (40) during a practice at Mendenhall Center. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports

Gary Harris

2015-2016 Stats Per Game: 12.3 PTS, 2.9 RBS, 1.9 AST, 46.9% FG, 35.4% 3PT, 1.3 STL, 0.2 BLK, 12.7 PER

Ceiling: Avery Bradley

Like Bradley, Harris is an undersized shooting guard who locks-up opposing teams best wings. Bradley has been able to overcome a lack of size in by being named to the 2015-16 All-Defensive First Team.

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If Harris can catapult his defense to that level and shoot close to 40% from three consistently, he could become a key piece for a Denver Nuggets team that hopes to be contending soon.

Floor: Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson has and always will be a dominant defensive player. He lacks the necessary skills in all other aspects of the game. The lack of a scorers mentality to takeover games has plagued both Johnson and Harris so far in their careers.

Harris has been known to pass out of scoring opportunities and has shown minimal ability to create consistent offense. Both players have the physical attributes to dominate opposing wings on offense, the issue just lies between the ears.

Feb 3, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone talks with guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 85-81. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Emmanuel Mudiay

2015-2016 Stats Per Game: 12.8 PTS, 3.4 RBS, 5.5 AST, 36.4% FG, 31.9% 3PT, 1.0 STL, 0.5 BLK, 9.9 PER

Ceiling: John Wall/Chris Paul

With physical attributes such as strength, speed and the ability to finish above the rim on a nightly basis, Mudiay compares closely to Washington Wizards Guard John Wall. As a physical freak running point, Mudiay’s high basketball IQ and demeanor resemble that of Chris Paul.

Like Paul, Mudiay likes to find teammates rolling to the basket and has demonstrated advanced court vision for his age. It’s the hope of the Nuggets brass that Mudiay can establish himself as a leader and face of the organization just as Paul and Wall have done with their respective teams.

Floor: Michael Carter-Williams

Like MCW, Mudiay has exceptional length and vision as a point guard, its the duos shooting percentages that have held them back. While Mudiay’s jump shot has shown improvement and he still has time to refine, Carter-Williams has shown little improvement.

The cause of concern for Mudiay is how successful can he be without a formidable jumper?MCW has gone from Rookie of the Year to fringe starter.

Nikola Jokic

2015-2016 Stats Per Game: 10.0 PTS, 7.0 RBS, 2.4 AST, 51.2% FG, 33.3% 3PT, 1.0 STL, 0.6 BLK, 21.5 PER

Ceiling: Vlade Divac

Like Divac, Jokic has proven excpetional passing ability in addition to touch in the low-post and a consistent shooting stroke. Jokic has the ability to use his craftiness and high basketball IQ to overcome his physical limitations and make him a legit star in the NBA. Numbers wise, Divac’s career highs of 16 PPG and 10.8 RPG and 5.3 AST per game are not out of the question of what the Joker can do.

Floor: Jon Leuer

Much is contingent upon continued improvement to his game, however, if teams figure out how to exploit his physical limitations, Jokic could see his role and potential quickly diminish. Leuer has proven to be somewhat of a resurgence with the Suns the past year, but his lack of size and speed has largely held him back from being more than a role player.

Jan 23, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Malik Beasley (5) shoots the ball past Pittsburgh Panthers guard Sterling Smith (15) during the second half at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Malik Beasley

2015-2016 Stats Per Game: 15.6 PTS, 5.3 RBS, 1.5 AST, 47.1% FG, 38.7% 3PT, 0.9 STL, 0.2 BLK, 20.8 PER

Ceiling: Kent Bazemore

With a blazing first-step, borderline inhuman athleticism, a consistent shooting stroke, and the makings of a legitimate perimeter defender, Beasley needs to take all of his skills and put them together just as Bazemore has. Like Bazemore, Beasley is the epitome of a teammate; a characteristic of a any team that hopes to build a close core.

Floor: Iman Shumpert

Iman Shumpert is what happens when a player with a similar skill to Bazemore can’t harness all his skill, yet his talent alone can keep him as a role player. Due to his athleticism, Shumpert is a solid defender on a championship team, however, he has never been able to harness his strengths and become a dominant starter in this league.

Jan 21, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) guards Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) in the first quarter at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Jusuf Nurkic

2015-2016 Stats Per Game: 8.2 PTS, 5.5 RBS, 1.3 AST, 41.7% FG, 0% 3PT, 0.8 STL, 1.4 BLK, 15.9 PER

Ceiling: Marc Gasol

Albiet a poor-mans version, Nurkic has shown the same flashes of defense, low post, mid-range touch and passing that has made Gasol a perennial All-Star. Add in his villan-esque mentality and theres reason to believe that he can develop into an above-average center in this league.

Floor: Festus Ezeli

Plagued by a lack of focus, free-throw shooting and arrogance, Festus Ezili has never been able to take the next step in becoming a consistent starting big-man. While he has shown flashes just as Nurkic has, he presents the real possibility of what can happen to Nurkic if he isn’t able to earn consistent minutes.

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Juan Hernangomez walks to the stage after being selected as the number fifteen overall pick to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Juancho Hernangomez

2015-2016 Stats Per Game: 9.7 PTS, 5.7 RBS, 0.6 AST, 45.5% FG, 35.8% 3PT, 0.8 STL, 0.3 BLK.

Ceiling: Kevin Love

As evident by a spectacular Summer League, Juancho proved a high IQ, 3-point prowess and a grittiness on the boards that helped catapult Love into NBA stardom. As with Love, Hernangomez’s ceiling will be determined by how well he can defend on the pick and role and in the low post.

While he has a similar mentality to the Mavericks longtime star Dirk Nowitzki, he has a long way to go before living up to the number 41 jersey that he’s slated to wear this upcoming season.

Floor: Jonas Jerebko

Jerebko was a key role player for the Boston Celtics during their playoff run. His athleticism is similar to Juancho, and they both will make corner 3’s for awhile. Jerebko was never able to make a significant impact as a member of the Detroit Pistons, and although he has had a bit of a resurgence with the Celtics, he won’t be confused with a star anytime soon.

Altogether, the Denver Nuggets have an immense amount of young talent, and development will definitely be key for them. With such a young talented team look for the Denver Nuggets to be able to return to playoff form in just a few short season.

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