2024 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Hawks court chaos, Spurs speed up rebuild, Lakers surprise
By Cal Durrett
28) Denver Nuggets-Tyler Smith
The Denver Nuggets are fortunate to have a first-round pick in this year's draft since they will need a chance to land a future rotation player to help them address depth concerns. If he is still available, the Nuggets should jump at the chance to pick G-League Ignite big man Tyler Smith. Smith has emerged as a probable first-round pick after showing that he could shoot from outside.
Standing at 6'10 with a 7'1 wingspan, his ability to space the floor would be extremely valuable to the Nuggets, who, despite having one of the best offenses in the NBA, don't actually shoot a lot from outside aside from Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Smith shot 36.4% from three on 4.0 3-point attempts per game, averaging 13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in only 22 minutes per game.
He could play alongside Jokic and Jamal Murray in certain lineups and serve as a floor spacer who is capable of putting the ball on the floor and driving or even play as a rim runner who can catch lobs. If he can do that, he'd be a steal for the Nuggets.