Nuggets NBA Draft Tracker: Latest rumors and rumblings

Tracking the latest Denver Nuggets rumors ahead of the NBA Draft on June 26th.

Monday, June 24th

Rumor: DaRon Holmes mocked to the Nuggets at pick #28, per ESPN, The Athletic

Nuggets Analysis: On the Monday of draft week, top mocks are sticking with DaRon Holmes to Denver. I don’t predict Holmes will last to 28, but if he does, I think that’s a pick that the Nuggets would run to the podium to make. Why wouldn’t they? Holmes has a polished offensive game and is really skilled. He has about the same size as Zeke Nnaji, but that’s where the comparisons between the two stop. Holmes can operate both inside and out. He’s crisp and comfortable in both pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop situations. He’d be a great offensive add to the Nuggets’ frontcourt and fill a position of need. He could probably give you minutes as a rookie next season too. Holmes has a mature game for someone who’s 21 years old. I’d love the pick.

Rumor: Tyler Smith mocked to the Nuggets at pick #28, per Yahoo Sports.

Nuggets Analysis: Smith doesn’t fit as a classic Calvin Booth/Nuggets pick. He’s a young (pretty much 1-and-done) prospect who’s 19 years old and played last season on the G League Ignite. But there is a sky-high ceiling here. Smith, a 6-foot-10 lefty, can really shoot the 3 and is an elite level athlete at the center position. He should develop a good dribble-drive game too — think Naz Reid. It doesn’t seem like Smith is NBA-ready right now. But with not too many future draft picks in their back pocket, maybe the Nuggets jump at more of a developmental player, even though I wouldn’t think that’s the direction they go.

Thursday, June 20th

Rumor: Kyle Filipowski mocked to the Nuggets at pick #28, per Bleacher Report

Nuggets Analysis: Filipowski is firmly behind DaRon Holmes on my personal big board if we’re talking potential big men for the Nuggets to draft at the end of the first round. But he still seems like a feasible option becasue of his high floor. Filipowski can shoot, pass, and dribble. He’s more skilled and quicker laterally than you think. He feels like a potential fallback option for the Nuggets if Holmes or their top targets aren’t available. Is Filipowski going to be a game-changing presence? No. Could he be solid? Yes.

Wednesday, June 19th

Rumor: DaRon Holmes mocked to the Nuggets at pick #28, per ESPN.

Nuggets Analysis: There’s a lot of smoke around Holmes to Denver right now. Either the Nuggets have been pretty clear about how they view the big man out of Dayton, or most draft analysts are throwing the same shit at the wall and it’s sticking. Holmes does make a lot of sense for Denver and it also tracks that there would be genuine interest here from the Nuggets. He’s a young but also polished and close to NBA-ready prospect that the Nuggets can put into their pipeline who’s very different than Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, and even Hunter Tyson/Jalen Pickett. Holmes is a 4/5, which is a position of need. His offensive skill speaks for itself.

Tuesday, June 18th

Rumor: DaRon Holmes mocked to the Nuggets at pick #28, per HoopsHype.

Nuggets Analysis: Holmes’ most popular landing spot over the last couple of weeks has been Denver. Some still speculate that it was the Nuggets who offered Holmes a promise at the end of the 1st round which prompted him to shut down his pre-draft workouts — I don’t think it was — but I do think there’s some interest here on Denver’s behalf. Holmes fills a need for the Nuggets on their front line and was also a really productive player in college. I’m very confident that his offense will translate to the NBA. Holmes would be one of the more offensively talented backup big men that the Nuggets have had in the Jokic era.

Monday, June 17th

Rumor: Tyler Smith mocked to the Nuggets at pick #28, per Yahoo Sports.

Nuggets Analysis: I think Krysten Peek over at Yahoo has arguably the best draft intel around, so I always take her mocks seriously. On Monday morning, she had Tyler Smith mocked to the Nuggets at pick 28. Smith is a 6-foot-11, lefty big man who played last season for the G League Ignite and averaged 13.7 points per game (36 3P%). He’s a big-time athlete who can finish with authority at the rim — think Aaron Gordon — and you see his athleticism show up on both ends of the floor.

On offense, he looked solid in a pick-and-pop role and his jump shot looks promising. He also has a decent dribble-drive game. Of course, the concern here is that Smith is just 19 years old and not ready to contribute now. This would be a pure upside and potential play, and you can make the case that Smith has among the highest upside of any big man in the draft. If Denver wanted to draft someone with the idea of sitting him in the G League for a year and letting him develop, Smith makes a lot of sense. At #28 in the late-first round, that’s not a bad idea but it would be a pivot from the type of NBA-ready veteran college players that Calvin Booth typically targets.

Thursday, June 13th

Rumor: Kyle Filipowski mocked to the Nuggets at pick #28, per Bleacher Report.

Nuggets Analysis: We know the Nuggets need a better option at backup center. We know they need more help and size off the bench. And I think Filipowski has a really good chance at finding a role in the NBA. He can shoot it, has an underrated handle, and is really skilled on the block and around the basket for a 6-11 center. Could Filipowski be a Drew Eubanks or Mo Wagner type of backup big man? Sure. This would be a solid pick for the Nuggets, but again, I’m always wary about spending a first-round draft pick on a backup center. They’ve proven to always be on a short leash in Denver and they don’t get many opportunities behind Nikola Jokic. But maybe with a change in regular season philosophy from Michael Malone, that could be different next year. I think DaRon Holmes is the more intriguing option and higher upside play if the Nuggets do target a big man at the end of Round 1, but it’s looking like he could be gone by pick 28.

Wednesday, June 12th

Rumor: Jamal Shead mocked to the Nuggets at pick #28, per CBS Sports.

Nuggets Analysis: Shead is coming off a storied four-year run at Houston where he was a three-year starter and helped lead the Cougars to four-straight Sweet 16 appearances and one Final Four. Last season, he was the Big 12 Player of the Year, a consensus First Team All-American and the National Defensive Player of the Year. Shead is a bulldog of a point guard who averaged 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a senior and was one of the best lead guards in the entire country. He feels like a Calvin Booth pick based on all of that. I don’t see this as a Nuggets selection at No. 28 overall, however. Shead is very similar on the surface to 2023 draft selection Jalen Pickett, who was also an accomplished, blue-chip college point guard. If Denver is planning on Pickett being on the team next season, this doesn’t make a lot of sense in Round 1.

Tuesday, June 11th

Rumor: Jaylon Tyson/Baylor Scheierman mocked to the Nuggets at #28, per ESPN.

Nuggets Analysis: ESPN released a new mock draft on Tuesday where they drafted for teams prioritizing both need and best value. For need, they mocked Tyson to Denver. For value, they selected Scheierman. Tyson is my guy for the Nuggets right now. I love his versatility and size at 6-7. He’s the exact type of guard that Denver needs in its backcourt. He can play the point and off the ball in a similar way that Bruce Brown did. And he’s a bucket-getter. The Nuggets’ second unit badly needs some offensive juice. If Tyson is the pick at 28, I’ll shotgun a beer live on our draft show.

Scheierman is a 6-7 wing out of Creighton who’s a knockdown 3-point shooter — he shot 38% from 3 on more than eight attempts per game last season — and someone who you can envision working off screens both on and off-ball within the Nuggets’ offense. He’s a fifth-year senior and has started 150+ games in his college career, so Scheierman fits the Calvin Booth mold. But I think the Nuggets already have a guy of Scheierman’s archetype in Hunter Tyson, and Tyson has already spent a year in Denver’s system. It feels like the Nuggets would be better off sticking with the guy they drafted last year.

Monday, June 10th

Rumor: Johnny Furphy mocked to the Nuggets at pick #28, per SB Nation.

Nuggets Analysis: Furphy is a hot Nuggets selection in a few recent mock drafts, but I just don’t see it. It’s obvious how Furphy can find a role on any NBA team with a knockdown jumper and elite athleticism, but can the Nuggets really take on a project like him? If Furphy was to hit, he’d still be behind Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther on the wing. Of course, this front office is always thinking long-term, and Denver’s role-player pipeline needs to stay full with the financial limitations the Nuggets are facing when adding to their roster going forward. Still, I can’t get there with him.

Friday, June 7th

Rumor: Johnny Furphy mocked to the Nuggets at pick #28, per Bleacher Report.

Nuggets Analysis: Furphy is a 6-8, 19-year-old freshman out of Australia who played last season at Kansas and averaged 9 points per game. He profiles as an elite shooter and athlete who definitely has the frame and the intangibles to play a role in the NBA. But Furphy seems like way too big of a project for Denver. His question marks on defense and lack of strength could hinder his pathway to a rotation spot with the Nuggets. Unless fellow Kansas product Christian Braun is feeding Calvin Booth state secrets about Furphy that no other NBA team knows, I don’t see the fit here. Yahoo Sports has reported that Furphy turned down a lucrative NIL deal to stay in the draft. That could mean he has a first-round promise from someone.

Rumor: Oso Ighodaro mocked to the Nuggets at pick #56, per Bleacher Report.

Nuggets Analysis: Ighodaro is a 6-10 senior out of Marquette who you may remember from this year’s NCAA Tournament for his signature shot: The push floater from anywhere inside the paint. Ighodaro registered a 35-inch standing vertical at the NBA Draft Combine, which tied for the highest at the event. He can pass, is a good screener, and can play-make a little too. I don’t think there’s a ton of upside here, which is fine for the 56th pick. He could be a depth piece for the Nuggets’ frontcourt.

Wednesday, June 5th

Rumor: Jaylon Tyson mocked to the Nuggets at pick #28, per The Athletic.

Nuggets Analysis: Well, the secret might be out. I love Tyson. Right now, he’s my favorite prospect in the Nuggets’ draft range. Tyson is a 6-6 combo guard who can create offense and make stuff happen in the half-court. He’s experienced too at 21 years old. His size and age make him a Calvin Booth type of prospect. It feels like his craftiness and the fire he plays with are both intangibles that Denver’s backcourt could use too. Tyson averaged 19.6 points per game at Cal last season and is a jack-of-all-trades type of ball handler. He has a little Bruce Brown mixed with CJ McCollum to his game.

Tuesday, June 4th

Rumor: DaRon Holmes mocked to the Nuggets at pick #28.

Nuggets Analysis: ESPN, Yahoo Sports, and The Ringer all have the Nuggets selecting Holmes, a junior power forward out of Dayton, at 28th overall in their latest mock drafts. ESPN reported over the weekend that Holmes canceled all of his future pre-draft workouts signaling that he has a promise from a team in the back half of the 1st round. I don’t know if it was the Nuggets who promised him — I don’t think it was from what I’ve heard — but I do think Denver would be interested if Holmes is on the board at 28. He’d be great value there, and it’s a pick that makes sense with how the Nuggets’ roster is currently constructed. Holmes could play backup center and power forward next to Nikola Jokic. He’s about the same size as Zeke Nnaji but way more skilled and aggressive of a player. Holmes is a polished frontcourt scorer and capable shooter who should have an offensive role at the next level.

Rumor: Isaac Jones mocked to the Nuggets at pick #56, per ESPN.

Nuggets Analysis: Jones is an older prospect at 23 and played three years at community college before transferring to Idaho and then Washington State. He averaged 15.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season. He’d be a frontcourt depth piece at power forward or center.

Rumor: Dillon Jones mocked to the Nuggets at pick #56, per The Ringer.

Nuggets Analysis: Jones is a 6-6 jumbo guard who played four seasons at Weber State. Last year he averaged 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. He does a little bit of everything on the court and plays a unique, bully ball style. Jones had a game of 30 points, 23 rebounds and 9 assists this past season.

Rumor: Ajay Mitchell mocked to the Nuggets at pick #56, per Yahoo.

Nuggets Analysis: Mitchell is a 6-4 guard out of UCSB who’s originally from Belgium. He averaged 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists last season. Mitchell’s a smooth floor general and jack of all trades on the offensive end of the floor.