Wind Chimes: 2-way candidates and the most intriguing players to watch in Vegas

Calvin Booth has been Denver’s top basketball decision-maker for just one month, but it’s already clear the type of player that he likes.

His first draft pick was Christian Braun, a 6-foot-7 wing who has plus-size at shooting guard. Booth then selected Peyton Watson. At 6-8 wing with a 7-foot wingspan, Watson has great size at small forward. In free agency, Booth added Bruce Brown, who at 6-foot-4 with a 6-9 wingspan has quality length at the two. Via trade, he acquired the 6-foot-5 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. DeAndre Jordan is a true 7-footer with ideal size for a center.

The days of undersized players in Denver are over. I think we can confidently say that after Booth’s first round of transactions this summer. Versatile players that can interchange between two or three or four different positions on both offense and defense is the direction that this roster is heading.

That team-building philosophy has shown up in the Nuggets’ Summer League roster. Eleven of the 16 players Denver is bringing to Las Vegas are between 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-8. That’s not a coincidence. Those are the types of players that the Nuggets want to get into their system, both at the NBA and G League levels.

Here’s my take on the team Denver’s fielding in Vegas this week.

2-way contract candidates — Denver has one 2-way slot open

Matt Mitchell | 6-6 Guard | Strasbourg (France) | Age: 23

Mitchell was the 2021 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year at San Diego State and made the conference’s All-Defensive Team as a senior season but went undrafted. He wound up on the Spurs’ Summer League team last season and later signed in France with Strasbourg where he averaged 11 points and 4.4 rebounds in around 24 minutes per game.

The 23-year-old is a physical guard at 6-6 (that might be a tad generous) and 235 pounds. Mitchell is an absolute unit and plays to his strengths. He’s a bulldog with the ball. But defense is his calling card, and Denver’s really excited to have signed him. If the Nuggets don’t ink him to a two-way, look for him to wind up in Grand Rapids. Mitchell’s biggest weakness is his 3-point shot. If he was a shooter — Mitchell only converted 30.4% of his 3s last season — and was two inches taller, he’d be on an NBA roster right now.

Adonis Arms | 6-5 Guard | Texas Tech | Age: 24

Arms is 24-years-old and well-traveled. He spent two seasons at Mesa Community College from 2016-18. Then bounced to Northwest Nazarene for one year. He took a redshirt season at Winthrop in 2019. Then played 23 games for Winthrop in 2020. Arms finished his college career at Texas Tech where he averaged 8.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 25.8 minutes per game last season.

What you need to know about Arms is that he’s a mega athlete with great measurables and a desire to defend. Arms is rumored to have a 45-inch vertical and packs a 7-foot wingspan. He can get down and guard in the half-court, and then draw a deflection or get a steal and finish in transition on the other end. Expect Arms to wind up in Grand Rapids too if he doesn’t secure an NBA contract at Summer League.

Kellan Grady | 6-3 Guard | Kentucky | Age: 24

Grady is a fifth-year senior who spent his senior season at Kentucky. Before that, he played four seasons at Davidson. Grady is a shooter plain and simple. He’s a rise-and-fire sniper who’s willing to take difficult catch-and-shoot and pull-up 3s. Grady started 34 games for Kentucky last season, averaged 11.4 points, and shot 41.5% on 6.2 3-pointers per game. Impressive numbers.

Jack White | 6-7 Forward | Melbourne (Australia) | Age: 24

White practiced with the Nuggets for the first time on Tuesday after he spent the last week playing for the Australian National Team. Reports are that he looked good too. White was a four-year player at Duke and played the last two seasons in Australia’s National Basketball League, the same league that Torrey Craig played in before arriving in Denver years ago. He played a central role on a really good Melbourne team there and averaged 9 points and 7 rebounds in 23 minutes per game. White is a tough, all-around player with a high basketball IQ. He just knows how to play.

Top-5 most intriguing players to watch in Vegas

1. Christian Braun – He’s the Nuggets’ top draft pick and the one guy on Denver’s Summer League team with a likely pathway to helping the Nuggets next season. Braun will be heavily featured in Vegas. I’m curious to see if he tries to expand his game as the leader of this team, or if he plays the same way he did at Kansas. The latter feels more likely based on what Braun has said this week.

2. Peyton Watson – He’s Denver’s second draft pick but still a first-rounder. I’m excited to see his defense because it has really been getting hyped this week to me. Watson will play a ton of minutes and be allowed to play through his mistakes. It could go good or bad. But after not playing much at UCLA last season, it’s probably what Watson needs to get his offensive confidence back.

3. Ismael Kamagate – We likely won’t see Kamagate next year in Denver or Grand Rapids — the Nuggets’ plan is to stash him in Europe where he played last season — so this is our only shot to watch him up close. He’s long, rangy and can block shots. Kamagate had nine blocks in a game last season. He hadn’t been able to practice with the team as of Tuesday since the Jerami Grant trade to Portland was not official yet. The Nuggets are hopeful that he’s cleared to play prior to their Summer League opener on Friday.

4. Collin Gillespie – Summer League won’t spook Gillespie, who was a four-year starter at Villanova, and it will largely be on him to keep this Nuggets team organized. Gillespie is signed to a two-way contract and can show the Nuggets a lot this week. He’s my fourth-most interesting player because he’s somewhat of a known commodity, but probably Denver’s second-most important.

5. Jontay Porter – I don’t know how much Porter will play at Summer League. I’m not sure if he’s 100% healthy either. In the past, he has flashed an elite basketball IQ and passing chops. He just knows how to play the game and his skill-set has always been intriguing. I liked Porter as a prospect when he was at Missouri.

Projected starting lineup and rotation

Expect this to be the starting lineup for Denver’s Summer League opener on Friday.

G: Collin Gillespie

G: Christian Braun

F: Peyton Watson

F: Matt Mitchell

C: Ismael Kamagate

Primary players off the bench: Adonis Arms, Kellan Grady, Jack White, Jontay Porter

The Notebook

– There’s a lot of buzz regarding Matt Mitchell heading into Summer League. He has a starting spot for the Nuggets, which is a big deal for a free agent vying for an NBA contract in Vegas. His defense and toughness could shine in this environment.

– Peyton Watson from all accounts had a great practice on Tuesday. He was really good defensively, as is expected, but the chatter is he’s showing off his offensive game too. Some within the Nuggets organization think he can play NBA-level defense right now.

– Everyone can’t stop talking about Christian Braun’s competitive fire. Every drill. Every play. Every 1-on-1 moment. He just wants to win at all costs. That will translate to Vegas.

– During the scrimmage portion of Tuesday’s practice I saw a Kellan Grady score on back-to-back possessions. One was a catch-and-shoot 3 with very little airspace to work with. The other was a drive from the 3-point line that ended with a tough finish at the rim. I’d consider him a darkhorse for the second two-way contract. He can shoot the heck out of the ball.

-Here’s Summer League coach Ryan Bowen’s response when I asked him if the Nuggets are looking for any specific characteristics in the player they sign to their second 2-way slot: “We’re just trying to find the best player out there,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see position-wise. Is that guy a shooter? Is that guy another big? Is it a wing defender? At the end of the day, it’s just, let’s get the best player on the team and see how he fits.”