Denver Nuggets: Damion James, Reginald Buckner Signed For Training Camp

The Denver Nuggets have signed Damion James and Reginald Buckner to non-guaranteed training-camp contracts. The Nuggets already have 15 players signed to their roster so it seems James and Buckner are headed to the D-League.

Reginald Buckner is an undrafted rookie out of Ole Miss. He helped Ole Miss upset Wisconsin in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Buckner did it all for the Rebels. This past winter he averaged 9.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 2.7 blocks per contest. Additionally he shot 58.7 percent from the floor. At 6’9’’ and 235 pounds, Buckner played small forward. He will probably be able to rebound well at the NBA level, but he has lots of work that needs to be done at the offensive end. He never averaged more than 10 points per game in college and topped out at 53.6 percent from the free throw line.

Former first-round draft pick Damion James has also signed an non-guaranteed contract. The 2010 draft pick has spent his three-year NBA career with the Nets in New Jersey and Brooklyn.  James has only appeared in 34 games, but has started in 16 of them. James was statistically one of the least efficient players in the NBA over the last three seasons–recording a 8.9 PER. Like I mentioned earlier, Jones is probably headed to the D-League. Hopefully he can use his time there to further develop his game and reach the potential he showed when he got drafted in the first round.

Since the training camp contracts are non-guaranteed, Jones and Buckner could use this opportunity to show case their skill set. Denver Nuggets training camp should provide valuable experience for both youngsters–especially undrafted rookie Reginald Buckner. Since the Nuggets already have signed 15 players signed to guaranteed contracts, the chances of Jones or Buckner making the roster is slim. If they perform well, other NBA teams could become interested in their service.

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