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NBA Draft: 5 players Denver Nuggets need to target

By Brad Weiss

DENVER, CO - MARCH 11: Denver Nuggets mascot Rocky has some fun with a young fan during the game against the Atlanta Hawks March 11, 2015 at Pepsi Center. (Photo By John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - MARCH 11: Denver Nuggets mascot Rocky has some fun with a young fan during the game against the Atlanta Hawks March 11, 2015 at Pepsi Center. (Photo By John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images) /
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The NBA Draft Lottery was a bit of a disappointment for the Denver Nuggets, who came into the lottery with a 21 percent chance of landing in the top three spots in the draft.  However, for the 14th time in their lottery history, Denver did not improve their standing, and wound up with the 7th overall selection.  In addition to the 7th pick, the Nuggets also own the 15th pick (from Houston), and the 19th pick (from Portland), giving them three shots to strike gold.

The Golden State Warriors struck gold with the 7th overall selection in the 2009 NBA draft, when they selected a skinny shooter from Davidson College named Stephen Curry.

The Nuggets have a great chance to solidify their roster via the draft this year, after placing two players on the NBA All-Rookie Team in 2015.  Nikola Jokic (First Team) and Emmanuel Mudiay (Second Team) both had solid rookie seasons, with Jokic finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting.  With a plethora of young talent in this year’s draft, the Nuggets should find at least one piece of the puzzle.

In addition to their three picks in the first round, the Nuggets also hold two selections in the second round, giving them more than enough opportunities to find good young talent to put around their veterans.

Last season, the Nuggets finished the regular season with a 33-49 record, which placed them fourth in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference.  Heading into next season, the Nuggets already have $38 million dollars invested in Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, and Wilson Chandler, so while they have the picks, they do not have a ton of cap room.

Heading into the draft, the Nuggets have some glaring needs, with a top scoring option being their number one priority.  A 33-win team needs a lot of help, so with that said, let’s take a look at the top five players for the Nuggets to consider with the seventh overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Next: No. 5 Henry Ellenson

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