By Jordan Long
The NBA Draft came and went last night. The Denver Nuggets had one selection of their own in the first round and it was the 22nd overall pick. Denver had many choices to upgrade their team at power forward, but decided on Zeke Nnaji, who played one season at the University of Arizona.
Nnaji is listed at 6 foot 11 inches and a power forward/center. He appeared in 32 games last year before the COVID 19 pandemic shut down the NCAA season. Arizona went 10-8 in the PAC 12 conference and 21-11 overall. In those games, Nnaji scored 16.1 points and added 8.6 rebounds per game, not bad for a power forward.
Denver was looking for a player who could make an impact but maybe not as a starter right away. Denver doesn’t have depth at the power forward position. Their two top ones, Jerami Grant and Paul Millsap, are both free agents. Denver may try to keep one or both of them but the free agent market will determine their value. It could be Denver can’t sign either one because they are too expensive or they agree to deals with other teams.
The only other power forward on the team is Michael Porter Jr. Porter Jr. finished his 2nd year in the league, but this past year was his first playing for the Nuggets. He finished with 9.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in the regular season. In the Nuggets’ postseason run, Porter Jr. averaged 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Nnaji could also see minutes as a center backing up Nikola Jokic as Mason Plumlee is also a free agent.
Denver might end up with Porter Jr. as the starting power forward. He proved in 3 playoff starts he can handle those duties. That means Nnaji would be his backup. Nnaji could see a lot of playing time especially if Porter Jr. struggles to shoot in games, turns the ball over, or is in foul trouble. If Nnaji sees the court at all this upcoming year at least it will give him experience to play the NBA game.
With the NBA Draft now completed, Denver will look forward to free agency. Their main focus should be to sign a power forward or improve the defense. These may include Derrick Favors, Serge Ibaka, or Montrezl Harrell if they are unable to agree to a contract with Millsap or Grant. All of these players would add depth and help the Nuggets improve from last season. Denver Nuggets’ President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly and General Manager Calvin Booth will do what they believe is best to make the Denver Nuggets a championship team in 2021.
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