What you need to know about Kendall Brown, a potential Nuggets draft target

The Nuggets are bringing in another six players Monday for a pre-draft workout at Ball Arena. Here’s what you need to know about who will be in attendance.

Kendall Brown | 6-7 1/2 Forward | Baylor | Age: 19 | Projected late 1st, early 2nd round

Last year’s stats: 9.7 pts (58.4 FG%, 34.1 3P%, 68.9 FT%), 4.9 rebs, 1.9 asts, 1.9 stls in 27 mpg

Strengths: Defense, athleticism, playmaking upside

Weaknesses: Shooting, offensive upside, polish

NBA Comp: John Collins

Brown looks like the featured player of this workout and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on the Nuggets’ draft board at No. 21 overall. The 19-year-old freshman is arguably the most athletic player in the draft. He’s 6-7 1/2 with a 6-11 wingspan and registered a 41-inch max vert at the combine, the second-highest mark of any player there. He’s a legit pogo stick.

That length and athleticism helped Brown put together an impressive defensive season as a freshman at Baylor. He projects as a small forward and switchable 1-4 defensive weapon. Last year he showed the ability to both smother small guards on drives and also protect the rim as both an on-ball and help-side defender. He’s quick laterally and is the classic archetype of defender that teams all around the league are coveting right now.

Brown gets a lot of his offense thanks to his athleticism and improvision ability. He’s a beast in transition and has nice touch around the rim. It’s not hard to envision Brown at home in the dunker spot catching lobs and he was among the nation’s leaders in dunks. With his vertical, he’s going to be an ace lob threat. Brown also displayed some playmaking upside at Baylor. He’s a willing passer who looks to get others involved and can grab a rebound and push it up the floor.

Brown has to develop on offense if he’s going to play a significant role at the NBA level. He was a non-shooter last season who only converted 29% of his catch-and-shoot 3s but he did shoot 63.8% from two-point range. Defenses routinely sagged off him and dared him to shoot it from distance. That typically ended poorly for Baylor. Brown isn’t a good free-throw shooter either which gives you even more concern about his jumper. It’s going to have to be re-worked considerably.

The 19-year-old needs to polish other parts of his game too, like his ball-handling and left hand. But he’s going to enter the NBA with a strong defensive acumen. Brown has a great motor too and goes after rebounds hard. It seems like he has a nose for the ball. At 6-8 with his length and athleticism, Brown checks a lot of boxes in terms of what the Nuggets will be looking for in the first round.

Caleb Houstan | 6-foot-8 Forward | Michigan | Age: 19 | Projected late 1st or early 2nd round pick

Last year’s stats: 10.1 pts (38.4 FG%, 35.5 3P%, 78.3 FT%), 4 rebs, 1.4 asts, 0.7 blks in 32 mpg

Strengths: Shooting, defensive upside, 3-and-D potential

Weaknesses: Finishing, athleticism, defensive consistency

NBA Comp: Otto Porter Jr.

Houstan is a former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American who played at Montverde Academy with Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, and Moses Moody. Then as the No. 14 rated recruit in the nation went to Michigan with high expectations. But his freshman season was a disappointment. Houstan was once a projected top-1o pick but now may fall out of the first round.

There’s still a lot that’s intriguing regarding the 19-year-old. He’s 6-8 with a long wingspan and looks like he’ll be an absolute knockdown shooter in the NBA. Houstan has a silky smooth stroke, a quick release, and shot 40% on catch-and-shoot jumpers last season at Michigan. Juwan Howard put Houstan in a lot of NBA-type actions too — dribble hand-offs, quick catch-and-shoot sets, etc. — and he looked the part. Houstan should be a very, very good NBA shooter. Put him in the corner, give him a sliver of air space and it’s curtains.

But Houstan’s lack of athleticism makes you wonder just how high his NBA ceiling is. He’s a below-average finisher in the half-court and barely gets any lift when attacking the rim and finishing inside. He doesn’t beat his man off the dribble and can’t really jump off of two feet. It leads to some awkwardly attempted finishes at the rim.

His length gives you hope for his defense, and Houstan displayed some defensive upside in college. At the least, he should be a knockdown shooter with 3-and-D potential.

Andrew Nembhard | 6-foot-5 Guard | Gonzaga | Age: 22 | Projected 2nd round pick

Last year’s stats: 11.8 pts (45.2 FG%, 38.3 3P%, 87.3 FT%), 3.4 rebs, 5.8 asts, 1.6 stls in 32.3 mpg

Strengths: Pick-and-roll passing, pick-and-roll scoring, feel for the game

Weaknesses: Athleticism, lateral quickness, shooting upside

NBA Comp: Tomas Satoransky

Nembhard is a classic, well-rounded point guard. He’s great in the pick-and-roll, a solid defender, and is experienced and played in a ton of big games at Gonzaga. I see him as a solid backup point guard in the NBA.

Ismael Kamagate | 6-foot-11 Center | France | Age: 21 | Projected 2nd round pick

Last year’s stats: 11.3 pts (64.3 FG%, 0 3P%, 65.4 FT%), 6.3 rebs, 0.7 asts, 1.6 blks in 27.1 mpg

Strengths: Shot-blocking, rim protection, athleticism

Weaknesses: Playmaking, rebounding, strength

NBA Comp: Clint Capela

Kamagate looks like an elite athlete for a center. He has good mobility and the makings of a solid rim protector and pick-and-roll big. Kamagate is bouncy and nimble for his size. His shot needs to improve but it’s not broken. If a team can be patient with him, there could be something here.

Collin Gillespie | 6-foot-3 Guard | Villanova | Age: 22 | Projected Undrafted

Last year’s stats: 15.6 pts (43.4 FG%, 41.5 3P%, 90.5 FT%), 3.8 rebs, 3.2 asts, 1 stl in 34.2 mpg

Strengths: Pick-and-roll game, shooting, basketball IQ

Weaknesses: Lateral quickness, finishing, athleticism

NBA Comp: Payton Pritchard

Gillespie’s another fifth-year senior that the Nuggets are bringing in. He can flat-out shoot it consistently from deep — Gillespie hit 41.5% of his 3s on 7.2 3-point attempts per game last year — and has NBA range on his jumper. Gillespie is crafty, efficient, and experienced in the pick-and-roll too and just knows how to play the game. He won’t make mistakes, but you wonder just how much upside there is. He was a national champ in 2018 and Bob Cousey award winner (the country’s best point guard) in 2022.

Garrison Brooks | 6-foot-9 Forward | Mississippi State | Age: | Projected Undrafted

Last year’s stats: 10.4 pts (45.8 FG%, 34.2 3P%, 69.2 FT%), 6.6 rebs, 0.8 asts, 0.8 blks in 30.3 mpg

Strengths: Finishing, shooting potential, athleticism

Weaknesses: Individual scoring, defense, consistency

NBA Comp: JaMychal Green

Say it with me, another fifth-year senior, the 7th fifth-year senior out of 18 players Denver has had in for a workout over the last week. He’s projected to go undrafted, but Brooks has a decent frame and is athletic. He has shooting potential too.