The Denver Nuggets were in trouble after losing starters Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. But GM Calvin Booth’s first three first-round picks have helped the Nuggets to a three-game win streak.
Peyton Watson, the No. 30 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, blocked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the final seconds of Denver’s 124-122 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. The 21-year-old moved into the starting lineup with Gordon sidelined and delivered three blocks and a steal. He was +7 in his 34 minutes and scored 10 points.
Booth selected Christian Braun nine picks ahead of Watson in that draft. He replaced the departed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup this season, and has responded by averaging 16 points and making 46.4% of his threes.
Wednesday, Braun supplemented Nikola Jokic’s monster triple-double (23 points, 20 rebounds, 16 assists) with 24 points and eight rebounds of his own. During the team’s win streak, he’s shot 8-for-14 from distance while scoring 19.3 points and racking up five steals.
Braun and Watson have had success in the past for Denver as supporting players, though not always with consistency. But the recent emergence of Julian Strawther, selected at No. 29 in 2023, has been a godsend for the shorthanded Nuggets.
He scored 19 points in 19 minutes in Denver’s win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday, where he was +12. The second-year forward from Gonzaga didn’t shoot the ball well Wednesday, going 1-for-7 from deep, but his passing (six assists), rebounding (five boards) and opportunistic dunking made him a +12 in that game as well.
The development of these recent first-rounders was going to be a bonus for Denver this season. With Gordon out for weeks and Murray still banged up, getting valuable minutes from the young Nuggets has become a necessity. Even Hunter Tyson, the No. 37 pick last year, has held his own in 59 minutes the last three games, which is more playing time than the 48 minutes he saw all of his rookie season.
Wednesday, Denver got 98 quality minutes from their young trio and not coincidentally, got their biggest win of the season. Jokic is leading the charge, but the Nuggets’ chance to get back to the Finals depends on the 2022 and 2023 drafts paying off.
