Denver Nuggets : Draft Key In Rebuilding Process

Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Emmanuel Mudiay (China) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number seven overall pick to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Emmanuel Mudiay (China) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number seven overall pick to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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Armed with three picks in the top 20, the Denver Nuggets can take a big leap forward in their rebuilding process.

Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Emmanuel Mudiay (China) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number seven overall pick to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Emmanuel Mudiay (China) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number seven overall pick to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets are coming off of a 33-49 season in the brutal Western Conference and have now missed the playoffs for three straight seasons.

That said, good rebuilding efforts take time and patience and given that Denver has a solid coach in Mike Malone and a strong group of young and still developing players, their three picks in the first 20 selections of the upcoming NBA Draft will prove vital to seeing this team reach playoff glory again.

The first thing those picks offer Denver are powerful assets.

With the salary cap preparing to skyrocket, players on rookie salaries will become an even more valuable commodity and a team like Denver with plenty of cheap players and picks could be an attractive trade partner for teams who are looking to jettison star players this offseason.

Assuming the Denver Nuggets don’t use their picks to bring a star player in, let’s consider some key players that could be added to the team through their picks.

Next: Looking For A Star