Will the Denver Nuggets Be This Year’s Surprise Team Out West?
By Andrew Dill
Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris, both aquired via trade by the Denver Nuggets, pose for a portrait during the 2014 NBA Draft.
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Jusuf Nurkic & Gary Harris
The Denver Nuggets picked well in this years’ NBA Draft. They originally had the 11th pick in the draft and used it to grab Doug McDermott. However, they later traded their rights to Doug McDermott and Anthony Randolph to the Chicago Bulls. In return, they received the 16th and 19th picks in the draft. With those picks, they got Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris.
Jusuf Nurkic was an overseas player looking to come to the NBA. At first, it was reported that Nurkic will play overseas for one, or maybe two, more seasons to develop more. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. The Nuggets reportedly bought out Nurkic’s contract with the Croatian club, sending Nurkic to the NBA next season. This is good news for Denver since they don’t have to wait to see their first-round draft pick play.
Gary Harris was selected with the 19th pick and is seen as a “steal.” Coming out of Michigan State, Harris was the leading scorer for both of his years in college. Harris is a bit small, but he brings great shooting and great scoring to a team that needs it. Playing behind Afflalo, Foye and Ty Lawson will definitely help him develop quickly into an NBA guard. It was a solid pick by the Nuggets that will definitely have more pros than cons in the future.