Skillsets coming into focus

1. Perhaps the best of Peyton Watson’s skills as a prospect is his cat-like reflexes. He is lightning quick in moments when he is tasked with reacting to a pass or rebound. In the clips below, watch how quickly he pounces once he sees the trajectory of the ball.

He actually has a lot of room for improvement as a defender. There is still a lot that is raw about his game on that end of the court but his length, mobility, and elite reaction speed is what makes him such a high-upside defensive prospect.

2. His height really stands out on passes like the one below.

3. I made this same note in game one’s edition of THE LIST. Seeing it again in game two makes me think that it is a habit. Another example of a basic fundamental that he will have to work on before he steps on the court in a Nuggets uniform.

4. Ismael Kamagate’s role on offense through two games has mostly been as a garbage man. A majority of his points have come off of rolls to the rim or offensive rebounds. Luckily, he seems content with that at the moment. Here he gets the switch and, after a quick flash to the post, sets himself up to grab the putback.

5. Kamagate’s defensive impact was on full display on this possession. First with the recovery after a miscommunication on the ball screen. Then again with the quick reaction to the back door cut.

6. The two things defensively that I haven’t loved about Kamagate have been his conditioning and his tendency to closeout shallow on three-point shooters. Below is a great example of the latter.

7. Braun has had several great cuts in his first two games at summer league. Nikola Jokic is going to love this dude.

8. Collin Gilespie has been my favorite player to watch so far. He isn’t the best prospect on the team but he just makes a lot of high level reads, like the one below where he punishes the defense for overplaying the PnR.

9. Let’s round out today’s edition of THE LIST with a highlight that features everybody. First, some great dribble drive containment and help defense from Gilespie, Kamagate, and Braun. Then some hustle from Watson followed up by a fantastic yet subtle read and touch pass from Gilespie.