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Hardwood Paroxysm: 7 young players we’re excited to watch in 2015-16

By HP Basketball Network

Dec 9, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) drives the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Anthony Morrow (2) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 9, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) drives the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Anthony Morrow (2) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Emmanuel Mudiay (China) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number seven overall pick to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Emmanuel Mudiay (China) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number seven overall pick to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Emmanuel Mudiay isn’t the only Nuggets rookie that excite

Dan Lewis (@minutemandan) — Hardwood Paroxysm

While the keys to the franchise have been placed in the promising hands of Emmanuel “Mad Eye” Mudiay, the Nuggets welcomed another rookie with upside to their roster this Summer League in Nikola Jokic.

Joka is a 6’10”, 250 pound center from Serbia that the Nuggets signed to a 4-year, $5.5 million contract during the offseason. Jokic played in the Adriatic League in Europe last season, averaging 16.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, good enough to earn the MVP award.

The 20-year-old averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds per game during Summer League in Las Vegas, but while the stats weren’t mind-blowing, the tools he demonstrated were. Every game Jokic was impressive with his feel for the game, showing off a knack to make the right pass to the right guy at the right time, whether that was kicking the ball up the floor to trigger a fastbreak, hitting a teammate cutting through the paint, or whipping a behind-the-back pass to a shooter in the corner for a 3-point attempt. When he’d get the ball in the post, he could calmly back down his defender, pumping his man in the air to draw and finish after contact. He had a good sense of when to pop out from the pick and roll for a potential 3-point attempt or to dive towards the rim and score in the paint.

Like most rookies, he’ll struggle to avoid foul trouble, being too aggressive with his 7’3” wingspan. He needs to develop his body, and gain endurance for the long grind of the NBA season. But those are things that he can already start working on. Nuggets trainer Steve Hess will put his new young players though his legendary Red Rocks workouts, and soon the pudgy frame that Jokic arrived with will be a thing of the past for the talented young big man. It won’t be long before Jokic is electrifying games with two-handed dunks, outlet passes, and swishing 3-pointers alongside Emmanuel Mudiay and the rest of the Nuggets.

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