Nuggets’ pipeline to young talent dealt a major blow

Considering the fact that the Nuggets have been drafting in the late 20s for the past few seasons, they’ve faired quite well. The hit rate for NBA draft picks goes down after the top few picks, it gets even lower outside of the lottery, and in the 20s and beyond it’s basically a longshot.

But the Nuggets have done well in that regard, as they’ve landed solid contributors in Christian Braun and Peyton Watson with Julian Strawther primed to make an impact this season. The team was also very excited to land DaRon Holmes II this season and believes he’ll make an impact once he recovers from his torn achilles.

That’s four rotation players added with late draft picks over the past two years, which is extremely impressive. There’s no doubt that the scouting team deserves a lot of credit; they’ve consistently been able to find diamonds in the rough.

But that scouting department took a hit recently as the head of the scouting department, Drew Nicholas was hired away and he’ll join the Brooklyn Nets. Nicholas has been heading the department since being hired in 2022 and by all accounts, he’s done a great job.

Fans may remember Nicholas for his playing heroics at Maryland, where he helped the Terrapins win a national championship in 2002. He also made an All-ACC team in 2002, but Nicholas never played in the NBA.

It’s a tough hit for the Nuggets, who have been hit with losses throughout the organization the past few years. But the good news is that the team has been able to replace talent in the front office and even with turnover, they’ve consistently been able to add talented young players.

The success dates back far beyond Nicholas’ time with the team and while he was clearly good at the job, there’s no reason to think his loss will be the end of the Nuggets’ drafting success. Hopefully, the team will have replacement options lined up and trust the rest of the scouting department to carry the load going forward.

This won’t be the biggest or most glamorous loss of the offseason in Denver, but it’s one that’s impact will definitely be felt.