The 2015 NBA draft is a little less than a month away, and for teams that aren’t still participating in the NBA playoffs, the focus is on using that event to build toward a better future. Now that the NBA Draft lottery is complete, the speculation can truly begin as to which player each franchise will pin its hopes on for the future. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.
With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ll be examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll continue on with a look back at the calls made by Nuggets GM Tim Connelly.
Nuggets (June 2013-Present)
2013 Draft
- No. 46 Overall — Erick Green*: 43 games, 3.4 PPG, 0.7 RPG, and 0.9 APG. .377/.298/.833.
- No. 55 Overall — Joffrey Lauvergne**: 24 games, 3.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 0.5 APG. .404/.188/.643.
*Acquired from Jazz along with cash in exchange for the No. 27 overall pick (Rudy Gobert).
**Acquired from Grizzlies along with Darrell Arthur in exchange for Kosta Koufos.
Notable players passed over or available at draft slot: Gobert (No. 27).
2014 Draft
- No. 16 Overall — Jusuf Nurkic*: 62 games, 6.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.1 BPG. .446/.000/.636.
- No. 19 Overall — Gary Harris*: 55 games, 3.4 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 0.5 APG. .304/.204/.745.
- No. 41 Overall — Nikola Jokic: No NBA regular season appearances.
*Acquired from the Bulls along with a 2015 second-rounder in exchange for the No. 11 overall pick (Doug McDermott) and Anthony Randolph.
**Traded the No. 56 overall pick (Devyn Marble) and Evan Fournier to the Magic in exchange for Arron Afflalo.
Notable players passed over or available at draft slot: McDermott (No. 11), Zach LaVine (No. 13), Rodney Hood (No. 23), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32), and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).