Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly is a scout at heart.
His sterling draft record (2017 notwithstanding) is a testament to the Nuggets’ dedication to the process. His staff relishes traveling to games, sometimes across far-flung corners of the earth, observing and researching potential NBA prospects. All that work, in this case crunched into less than nine months’ time, culminates in Thursday’s NBA draft where the Nuggets sit with the 26th overall pick.
Dismiss the late first-round selection at your own peril. Last November, the Nuggets snagged promising forward Zeke Nnaji at No. 22, then traded back into the first round two picks later to nab combo guard R.