Nuggets bet on upside by taking Kentucky big man in second round

The Nuggets followed up their first-round selection of Michael Porter Jr. by trading for another player who didn’t log many minutes in his lone season of college: Kentucky’s Jarred Vanderbilt. The Nuggets packaged the 43rd overall pick and a future second rounder to the Orlando Magic to move up to 41 and choose Vanderbilt, an athletic 6-foot-9 big man.

Vanderbilt was a five-star recruit out of high school who only appeared in 14 games in college due to multiple foot injuries and a crowded Wildcats frontcourt. Vanderbilt is considered a strong defender and a rebounding machine. He hauled in 7.9 boards in only 17.0 minutes per game in college.

“There aren’t many players at any level of basketball with Vanderbilt’s skill set. At 6-foot-9 and 214 pounds with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, he’s a freakish athlete with the ability to defend players at all five positions. And once Vanderbilt cleaned the defensive glass, he could lead the break himself and create easy shots for his teammates in transition,” The Ringer’s Jonathan Tjarks wrote earlier this week.

Like they did with Porter, the Nuggets are betting on upside with Vanderbilt. His rebounding percentage (25.7) eclipsed Mohammed Bamba’s (20.2) and Robert Williams’ (18.9). He’s inexperienced, and his shot is a work in progress, though. Vanderbilt missed the only three-pointer he attempted at Kentucky and shot 63.2 percent from the free throw line.

He’ll join a crowded Nuggets’ power forward rotation that already includes Paul Millsap, Trey Lyles, Kenneth Faried, Darrell Arthur and Tyler Lydon.