The 2014-15 NBA season has officially come to a close; a new champion has been anointed and the draft has concluded. The end of the NBA season is also the unofficial start of the worst five weeks in a sports fan's life as it is the slowest and quietest period of the year. There are some fairly minimal NBA trades that get done and there will be some free agent news to follow; however, there is little drama left to this offseason as the marquee players who were rumoured to be looking around have all penned new deals and those who remain unsigned are all figured to be staying put.
This is the fitting time of the year to sum up the NBA draft and profile the incoming lottery selections. eDraft Sports has highlighted the best sleeper picks of the draft and now we move into more in depth analysis of each lottery selection. Granted any true reflection on these players would be much better served after at least a couple seasons of experience; however, we will offer initial reviews and projections for the upcoming season.
The Denver Nuggets held the seventh overall pick in the draft and with it they had many a need to try and fill. Long rumoured, although yet to come to fruition, were the departures of Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried. With those two players still in the fold along side Danilo Gallinari, this team should be better than they were last year. Granted none of these guys are likely to finish the year as Denver would be happy to unload one or all of these guys if the price is right.
Certainly a factor that could expedite the exodus of the veterans is the play of newcomer Emmanuel Mudiay. Mudiay was tabbed by the Nuggets with their seventh overall pick and by all accounts this was a solid decision and a fortunate one to have for the Nuggets. Mudiay is a scorer and a dynamic backcourt player. He played last year overseas in the Chinese league and forwent all college experience. This certainly didn't allow for as much hype around his game; however, it likely did wonders in terms of his maturity.
Mudiay had been touted as being a potential pick anywhere from second overall down through the top ten. A team selecting Mudiay would be drafting on need and the Nuggets at the seven spot had a definite need. Mudiay will have success in the Nuggets schemes as they are an athletic team that likes to push the pace. There will be plenty of scoring opportunities here as Mudiay can really just go out and play the game without the overwhelming influence of having a superstar-type player to defer to. This is a solid landing spot for Mudiay and he will flourish here. Given the landscape of the Nuggets franchise and the high potential for player movement here; look for Mudiay to be a late-season contender for Rookie of the Year honors.