Nuggets Mailbag: Realistic free agent targets, Summer League hype and can Denver continue to build from within?

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is in the books, and Pascal Siakam, the 25-year-old from Cameroon who only started playing organized basketball seven years ago, will never have to pay for a drink in Toronto again.

Siakam was incredible in the Raptors’ Thursday night win over the Warriors, finishing with 32 points on a near-perfect 14 of 17 shooting, eight rebounds and five assists as Toronto disposed of Golden State 118-109.  But his story, coming from the dirt roads of Bafia, Cameroon where Siakam studied to be a priest early in his childhood, is even more remarkable than his meteoric rise over his three NBA seasons from the G League to a key reserve off the Raptors’ bench and now as a fixture in Toronto’s starting five who can help lift his team to a championship.

It’s easy to forget that at this point last season Siakam was coming off an encouraging yet fairly quiet sophomore campaign. Siakam averaged 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds last year in 21 minutes off the bench for Toronto and while he showed promise and flashed the occasional signs of stardom, the now third-year pro proving this integral to the Raptors’ playoff hopes just one year later would have seemed inconceivable.

Perhaps the Nuggets can learn from Siakam’s rapid ascension. Denver is looking to take another step next season and to get there the Nuggets will need to either grow internally or externally. Can Malik Beasley, Monte Morris or Jarred Vanderbilt, who’s drawn some comparisons to Siakam, make a similar type of leap over the next year or maybe in Vanderbilt’s case the next two? If not, will the Nuggets need to bring in a game-changing talent from the outside to continue their rise up the Western Conference ranks?

Let’s examine.

Is the “next step” more organic growth or are we going to try to lure another star to play with Jokic? – @FeelsLike98

Internally, I believe the Nuggets feel that they can get to that figurative next step organically, mainly because when you look at last season’s run you still find yourself playing the “what if” game. What if Will Barton didn’t miss the first three months of the season? What if Gary Harris wasn’t in and out of the lineup so often with various injuries? What if Denver was able to gain more consistency with its rotation throughout the year? Would that have translated to better offense in the playoffs and one more win? I think the Nuggets look at their roster and can also play a similar game. How much better will Jamal Murray look in the playoffs next year with a postseason run under his belt? How comfortable will Beasley and Monte Morris look in the playoffs next season after getting their first taste of postseasons basketball? Those are exciting questions and ones that make me believe the Nuggets feel like they can take another step or two from within. Is that growth enough to make an NBA Finals run next season or go toe-to-toe with the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals? I’m not sure. But there’s still another level that this team can get to without relying on outside talent. Maybe they dip their toe into that pool in 2020.

You have mentioned a desire to have Kevin Durant over Kawhi Leonard and reference fit as the reason. It seems Durant’s style of play slows down the ball/player movement types of offense. I feel like Leonard makes more sense as someone who can fit into the offense and get his. – @jordandan53

First off, let’s go over some fundamentals. Both are the types of players that put your franchise immediately at the forefront of the contender discussion. Both are top-3 players in the league in my book. Durant is already an all-time great and will likely finish as a top-10 player ever. Leonard will be remembered as one of the better defenders in NBA history. They’d both be awesome fits that would turn the Nuggets into one of the championship favorites. But I still think Durant is the better option. First off, I’m still under the belief that when healthy, he’s the best player in the league. It’s impossible for Durant to take a bad shot. At 6-foot-11 he can get any look he wants on that end of the floor. Leonard, for how well, he’s played in these playoffs, is still a rung or two below Durant as an offensive playmaker. And even though both Durant and Leonard are both ISO-centric talents, Durant’s a little more of a ball mover. He’s also played in an offense that preaches movement over the last few seasons. Even in Game 1, I thought Leonard isolated too much. I’m also a little concerned about Leonard’s health long-term too. Picking between Durant and Leonard for their fit on the Nuggets is a first world problem and there’s no wrong answer. But I’m taking Durant.

Do you think we will go after Kemba Walker? – @milehighabove

I’m going to rephrase this question as, ‘Do you think the Nuggets will go after a top-tier free agent, and if so, what position?’ The Nuggets will test the waters for the league’s top free agents this summer, but will any of those potential meetings turn into anything of substance? I doubt it. Still, Denver would love to get in the room with Durant, Leonard, Klay Thompson, etc. While the Nuggets will potentially flirt with some of the top wings available, I don’t see Denver being too interested in the free agent point guards who could be looking to move teams this summer like Walker, Kyrie Irving and D’Angelo Russell. The Nuggets are still very high on Murray and Denver was happy with his first playoff performance where Murray averaged 18 points, four rebounds and four and a half assists in 14 games. “Overall, I thought Jamal was remarkable in the playoffs,” Michael Malone said. The Nuggets want more consistency from Murray, as any team does from most young players (it’s easy to forget that Murray just wrapped up his third professional season and at 22-years-old is the same age that Damian Lillard was when he entered the league), and they’ll get it next season. With Murray and Nikola Jokic, who’s really Denver’s main offensive initiator, point guard isn’t where the Nuggets will spend money this summer.

How hyped are you for the Vlatko Cancar vs. Zion Williamson Summer League opener – @CToma24

In 2017 I journeyed to my first Las Vegas Summer League and was lucky enough to experience what will perhaps go down as the biggest crowd that will ever take in a meaningless exhibition showcase at Thomas & Mack Center. It was Lonzo Ball’s Laker debut and he was facing off against Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics on Friday night, the opening evening of Summer League. For those of you who have never made the pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the July showcase, first off, I’d highly recommend it. Secondly, it’s 80-90% Laker fans, and they were out in full force for Ball. The atmosphere was pure pandemonium. LaVar Ball, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Floyd Mayweather and Isaiah Thomas were all in attendance and the arena had to open up its upper level of seating to accommodate a sellout crowd. Outside, in the scorching Las Vegas heat, tickets were being scalped for hundreds of dollars. I’m not sure if this season’s opening night primetime matchup, which from all the rumors I’ve heard will pit the New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson against the Nuggets and Michael Porter Jr., will eclipse the atmosphere around that game — simply because of the Laker factor — but the hype factor will come close. There’s a lot of excitement, deservingly so, building around Porter, although I’ve tried to temper expectations for the talented rookie who hasn’t played in a live game in well over a year, and Williamson will be one of the more exciting players to grace the league in some time. It will be as exciting as a Summer League game can get. So yes, I’m excited and I’m also looking forward to watching Cancar, the versatile 2017 draft-and-stash 6-foot-8 wing who was just named one of the top-5 young players in Spain’s ACB League, what some consider the second-best league in the world outside of the NBA. He showed well at Summer League last season and it sounds like he’ll be on the Nuggets’ roster next year.

What is more important this offseason, building our defensive ceiling or offensive ceiling? What should we sacrifice in either scenario to have a more complete team? – @BBaller120

Tough question, but I’d say defensive ceiling. The Nuggets still need that combo forward who can guard two or three positions and help limit the likes of Kevin Durant (who luckily for Denver could be heading East), Kawhi Leonard (potentially heading West), and Paul George. Then again, every team in the league continues to search for those players. They don’t grow on trees and when you find one, you hang onto him like your franchise depends on it. Jokic, Murray and Gary Harris can get you to a borderline top-10 offense but will they be good enough defensively to keep up the Nuggets’ newfound top-10 standing once Paul Millsap’s impact eventually fades. That’s a more pressing question. Maybe Vanderbilt can help with that long term.

Quick Hitters

What do you see as Michael Porter Jr.’s role next year? Starter, Bench? Does it depend on how the Summer League goes? – @TherealA_Novak

Bench, and even if Porter fares well in Summer League I think Denver takes it slow with him. But if he proves he can play in Las Vegas and through the preseason, he’ll get minutes.

What does Jared Vanderbilt need to do to become a part of the rotation next year? – @Bucketsince88

At the beginning of the season probably an injury to Jokic, Millsap or Mason Plumlee. I’m expecting the Nuggets to bring in another power forward too to backup Millsap so Vanderbilt will probably start out as no higher than fourth on the Nuggets’ frontcourt depth chart. Still, he brings a skill-set to the table that no one else on Denver’s roster has, but he’s incredibly raw, with very few minutes under his belt. However, he’s healthy and really, really skilled with a high ceiling. He’ll be a factor going forward, maybe at times here and there next season.

Free agent targets – @jokictripdoub?

Realistic targets at either one of the forward spots that make sense to me: Trevor Ariza, Rudy Gay, Wesley Matthews, Jared Dudley, Garrett Temple.

With the Rockets having a fire sale, is there anyone you see the Nuggets targeting? – @Robert30z

P.J. Tucker would have tons of suitors and he’d give the Nuggets’ defense a huge boost, similar to the one they currently get courtesy of Paul Millsap. But that fit doesn’t seem realistic unless the Nuggets move on from Millsap, which I don’t expect them to do. Also, Denver should sign Nene to a one-day contract so he can retire a Nugget. There was talk that this past season would be his last.

What do you think of signing Dragan Bender this offseason? He showed some progress in the second half of last season and could probably be had for relatively cheap. He could potentially be a great stretch 4 next to Joker. Seems like a low risk, high reward proposition. – @nbyadgar

Low risk but likely low reward. I’d pass.

G League team. Will it happen? – @Falko83

Will it happen? Yes. When will it happen? Who knows. Based on what I’ve heard as recently as this week I don’t think a G League team is likely for next season.