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Denver Nuggets: Emmanuel Mudiay Would be the Right Fit

By Chris Schmaedeke

Mar 18, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Emmanuel Mudiay of Prime Prep Academy poses for a portrait. He is a finalist for the USA Today Player of the Year Award. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Emmanuel Mudiay of Prime Prep Academy poses for a portrait. He is a finalist for the USA Today Player of the Year Award. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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The point guard position for the Denver Nuggets is one that is in flux going into the NBA draft. Emmanuel Mudiay is the man to fix that problem.

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Rumors are swirling around the Nuggets as the draft approaches on Thursday. Ty Lawson, who has expressed his want to leave Denver, is clearly on the trading block. His former coach George Karl wants him with the Sacramento Kings but a deal is nowhere close to being done. There are also rumors swirling around DeMarcus Cousins heading to Denver but those are in the early stages as well.

Whether Lawson is traded or stays with the team, Denver wants to go a different way with its point guard position. Mudiay would be the right pick to start over for the team. He would bring a lot of skills that Lawson doesn’t really seem to have.

Mudiay is perhaps one of the biggest mysteries of the draft but also may be one of the most talented players. He is a big point guard at 6-foot-5 but is known for his speed and ability to get to the basket. Now, Lawson has those same skills but he is a smaller player who can get blocked at the rim. Mudiay, with his size, finishes strong with both hands and has the height to get shots over defenses.

The biggest upside to Mudiay is many scouts believe he is a true point guard who knows how to run a team. Those are things that Lawson is lacking. Lawson’s leadership has been questioned since he took over a starter in 2011. Mudiay, even at a young age, could bring some leadership that the Nuggets need in the worse way. The Nuggets could be in trouble leaning on such a young player for leadership but it has to be better than what they have.

Mudiay was suppose to play at SMU last season under Larry Brown but decided to play in China. He only played 12 games with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball during the 2014-15 season due to injuries. Although it is a small sample size, the point guard did average 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Good numbers even if it was just 12 games. His shooting can be suspect but the Nuggets don’t need their point guard to be a shooter. Let Danilo Gallinari and Randy Foye, if they are still with the team, be your snipers from the outside.

The Nuggets have expressed their need for a new point guard subtly through their draft workouts. Players like Duke’s Tyus Jones and Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant have been in Denver in the past couple weeks. Both of those players would be a stretch at No. 7. Mudiay has been mocked to go as high as No. 4 to the New York Knicks so if he would fall to the seventh slot the Nuggets would be getting a real steal.

The point guard is a bit of an unknown but is worth the risk for the Nuggets. Denver is looking for a spark and bringing in a young, fresh point guard is a great way to start the rebuild. Mudiay would also bring a presence on defense than Lawson. Teams can exploit Lawson’s height and cause a mismatch but Mudiay would be able to lock down a bigger point guard easier.

The NBA draft is a land of unknowns and Mudiay could be top of that list but if the Nuggets want to make a splash, bringing Mudiay to Denver would be the way to do it.

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