Which under-the-radar Nuggets player are you buying stock in for next season?

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Which under-the-radar Nuggets player are you buying stock in for next season?

Adam Mares: Bol Bol?

There really aren’t any great answers to this question, in part because there aren’t a lot of players who qualify as being “under-the-radar.” I am skeptical that Bol Bol can become an impact player as early as next season, especially now that a large portion of his first offseason will take place under unique circumstances. This summer was going to be a big one for Bol. His first summer league, his first offseason working out with the Denver Nuggets coaching staff, his first offseason where his focus can be entirely on adding strength and conditioning.

All of that is gone now. What remains is the raw talent that made Bol one of the top prospects in the world just 12 months ago. A 7’2 frame, a silky jump shot, a surprising handle and the coordination of a player that is 6 inches shorter.  Those talents will be useful the moment Bol is able to figure out the NBA game and meet the expectations of the coaching staff.

Then there is the question of what the roster might look like. A huge reduction in the league’s salary cap might create a bunch of curveballs to Denver’s roster construction going forward. It can be assumed that at least one of Mason Plumlee or Paul Millsap would not return next season. The plans to re-sign Jerami Grant are still intact but he will be a popular free agent this summer. Have those plans changed now that the league is in flux? There is at least a scenario in which the Nuggets need Bol to play at least some minutes next season?

Harrison Wind: PJ Dozier

Look back at Monte Morris’ path to the Nuggets’ rotation and you could find Dozier’s roadmap to regular minutes as well. Coming off of a season spent on a two-way contract, the Nuggets re-signed Morris to a three-year, $4.8 million pact in 2018. Morris quickly ascended to Denver’s backup point guard to open the 2018-19 season (mostly due to Isaiah Thomas’ injury and extended rehab) and never looked back. There’s a world I could see where Dozier, who played under a two-way contract this season, re-ups with the Nuggets this summer on a similar multi-year deal to the one that Morris signed and eventually winds up in the rotation.

Dozier probably won’t take Morris’ spot at backup point guard to open next season and Morris has been so steady behind Jamal Murray for the last two years that the Nuggets would be foolish to push him aside. But is there a scenario where Denver’s second unit backcourt next year includes both Morris and Dozier? Maybe. Dozier at 6-foot-5 alongside the smaller Morris gives the Nuggets an adequate amount of length if those two were to play next to one another, and Morris’ consistent shooting (he’s a 40% shooter from 3-point range over the last two seasons) can compensate for Dozier’s lack of a 3-point shot. It’s not a perfect fit but it could work and may be a favorable option if the Nuggets find themselves with little cash to to spend in free agency this summer.

Brendan Vogt: Bol Bol

There are plenty of hurdles between Bol Bol and where the fandom hopes he’ll be one day as an NBA player. There are injury concerns, and those aren’t the only reasons he slid late into the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft despite having top-10 talent in his class. He’s a genuine specimen, standing 7’2″ with a seemingly 60/40 legs:torso ratio. But he has a smooth handle, a lethal three-point shot and a skillset for which there are few if any apt comparisons.

Bol Bol’s ceiling is a player who changes the trajectory of the Denver Nuggets. He only played nine games in Oregon, but across those nine games, he averaged 21 points on 52% from three-point range. That would have, of course, led the nation had he qualified. Bol is a center, but with his outrageous shot-blocking ability and aptitude for spacing the floor, it’s hard not to fantasize about potential minutes alongside Nikola Jokić.

The 2019-20 Nuggets are (were?) a long team, at times deploying units built around that very feature. We’ve come to call them the longbois at DNVR, and Bol Bol is the perfect addition to the squad. There could be an opening for him too. I’d be surprised if Mason Plumlee returns, and after overpaying a capable backup center, the Nuggets might welcome an opportunity to fill that slot on a much more affordable deal.