The Denver Nuggets have assembled a plethora of promising young talent over the last few years, but it leaves a few of their veterans in a curious position as the team continues to rebuild.
There may not have been a devastating rock bottom, but for the Denver Nuggets, the last few years have been a battle with futility.
After climbing to the top of the Western Conference in the 2012-13 season, the Nuggets submerged themselves into mediocrity over the next two seasons.
Their fall from grace led to many changes over that time frame, ranging from numerous trades to receive valuable draft picks to the firing of former Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw.
With the addition of head coach Mike Malone, as well as moving on from former long-time point guard Ty Lawson around this time last summer, it was clear the Nuggets were ready to embrace a new direction and build themselves up from the basement of the league.
Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Denver Nuggets
Fast forward to the present and the Nuggets have quickly emerged with a young foundation of players that are as promising and talented that you’ll come across in the NBA.
We’ve already seen a few of the Nuggets’ newcomers like Nikola Jokic, who had a strong rookie campaign, and Emmanuel Mudiay, who broke through his rookie wall after the All-Star break last season.
Of course, the team’s base of budding talent has only gotten richer this summer as the team held four draft picks in this year’s draft, which turned out to be Jamal Murray, Juan Hernangomez, Malik Beasley and Petr Cornelie.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
Yes, the Nuggets are only just starting to see the fruits of their labor with the countless of young players they’ve accrued over the last few years, but it’s a position that leaves the Nuggets with a bright future nonetheless.
However, as bright as the future looks for the Nuggets’ wealth of young talent, they face an interesting dilemma with a few players that have been through the (Rocky Mountain) highs and lows.
As it stands now, the Nuggets still have three holdovers from their high mark 2012-13 season: Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler.
For as integral as they all grew to be during the team’s last stint of success, all three–Faried, Chandler and Gallinari–have experienced hardships for different reasons over the last few seasons.
Both Gallinari and Chandler have missed significant amounts of playing time due to injuries, with Chandler missing the entire year last season due to a tear in his right hip and Galinari missing the entire 2013-14 season due to a torn ACL in his left knee.
While Chandler is getting back to full health, Gallinari has returned the offensive form he was performing at during the team’s most recent heyday.
As for Faried, the last few years have been challenging for him on the floor.
After making a great first impression upon entering the league, Faried has rounded out into a high motor, active rebounder who’s defined by his limitations as he doesn’t space the floor and struggles to make a positive, consistent impact on the defensive end.
Now with all three players reaching or are in the mid-point of their respective careers and on a team that’s suddenly rejuvenated the base of their roster, where Chandler, Gallinari and Faried stand in the Nuggets’ rebuild is a curious question.
More from Denver Nuggets
- This overlooked skill proves that Nikola Jokic is underrated defensively
- Why the loss of impact players won’t damage Denver’s repeat title hopes
- Has Denver’s risky offseason hurt their repeat title hopes?
- The Nuggets’ sneaky great draft bolsters their championship roster
- Despite a short series, the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat saved the NBA
All three of Chandler, Gallinari and Faried make the team better from a competitive standpoint and their experience is incredibly valuable for what’s become a very green and unseasoned roster.
Additionally, their various respective strengths (Faried’s motor, Gallinari’s floor spacing and Chandler’s versatility) all are great weapons to have around a multitude of developing players.
Yet any positive production from any, either or all of Chandler, Faried and Gallinari next season will likely accelerate any trade scenarios, which could lead to possible movement around the trade deadline.
Out of the three, Gallinari may be the biggest name to watch, considering his contract status (Gallinari holds a player option in the 2017-18 season and could be an unrestricted free agent next summer if he opts out) and his offensive profile.
It’s not as though the clock is ticking for the Nuggets with what they end up doing with all three of Chandler, Faried and Gallinari (although it could be for Gallinari, specifically), but there’s plenty of uncertainty and potential pitfalls as the team starts planning for where they want to go with their young squad.
Nonetheless, the Nuggets are quickly becoming a model for rebuilding and with the right mix of veterans, productive developing players and loads of depth, there’s a chance they could open many eyes next season.
More hoops habit: 25 Most Dominant Individual Games In NBA History
At the same time, fully committing to a young foundation of players can be too much, too soon and it could leave the Nuggets with a handful of potential problems if they don’t strike the right balance.