The most impressive plays from Julian Strawther's debut

Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth may have done it again.

Julian Strawther, the Nuggets 2023 first-round pick, looked the part in the Nuggets’ 115-107 preseason-opening win over the Suns. He scored a team-high 20 points in 21 minutes off the bench. He hit 4-7 from 3-point range. He shot 8-12 overall from the floor. Strawther also added 5 rebounds and 3 assists. He didn’t turn the ball over at all.

It was a near-perfect game from the rookie.

Here’s what stood out from his debut.

He’s a pure, pure shooter

Strawther shot 41% from 3-point range on 5.3 attempts per game last season at Gonzaga, so you knew shooting was line item No. 1 on his NBA resume coming into the draft. But last night confirmed that this guy is an absolute laser. I mean, he’s going to be a straight sniper from beyond the arc.

His lower release point, which is the one knock I saw regarding his shot in college, could be something he has to navigate over time. But it didn’t affect him last night.

These three triples were pure. He didn’t hit rim once.

Also, check out his shot prep, particularly on his first 3 where he’s shooting on the move. This is professional stuff. Strawther is so polished as a shooter already.

Check out the range too. This was no problem for him.

He already looks like a pro

Booth drafted three players back in May, all of whom were regarded as older for their draft class. Hunter Tyson is already 23 years old and played five years in college. Jalen Pickett is 23 and turning 24 in October. Strawther was the youngest of the three at 21.

But what Booth got were three mature rookies who came into the league ready to contribute.

Strawther moves like an NBA player. It’s obvious that he just knows basketball. He has a great feel for the game and the court. Everything he does looks natural. He looked better defensively than I thought he would too.

He cut off Yuta Watanabe’s driving lane here, then stuck around for the rebound.

Strawther is tall for his position at 6-foot-7. He uses his length well.

I loved this sequence too. Strawther is in the right position for this entire defensive possession and is rewarded with the steal. He then could have taken a 3 off the catch but made the extra pass to Hunter Tyson in the corner for a better shot.

Strawther has such a mature game already. He’s never in a rush.

Strawther already looks like a mature player. Coming from a pro-style system at Gonzaga where he was already playing a relatively refined role on a really talented team, we should have seen this coming.

There’s more to his game

Strawther’s calling card as a pro will be his 3-point shot, but there’s more to his game.

We knew about his floater — Strawther ranked first in field goal percentage (56.2%) and points per possession out of the 27 players who attempted at least 75 runners/floaters in the NCAA last season — and it looks like that’s going to be in his bag too at this level.

This was clean.

So was this.

Operating in the pick-and-roll? We saw that last night too.

I don’t think this will be a huge part of his game, but it’s good to know he’s capable.

Overall, this was an awesome debut. Strawther was pretty much perfect.