Best draft picks in Denver Nuggets history
The draft is a seminal moment for many incoming players. Putting aside competitive stakes, each young athlete's life is irreversibly altered by the fame and fortune that comes with being an NBA player. The exorbitant contract values ensures these players almost never have to worry about personal finances. Plus, these young guns get to play alongside some of their basketball idols for a living. With these high stakes, it's easy to see why the draft is so revered.
Likewise, the fortunes of a city and franchise can be completely transformed by a draft pick. LeBron James, for instance, brought Cleveland its first sports championship in 52 years and was also to the city's downtown economy. It almost goes without saying that Michael Jordan built the Chicago Bulls from the ground up into a championship team whose dynamic would reverberate through the decades.
With that in mind, compiled a list of the best draft picks in Denver Nuggets history using data from . Players were ranked according to a formula that approximates their career achievements, career value, and play quality. The formula encompasses Basketball-Reference.com's , career win shares, and value over replacement player, aka VORP. For players drafted before data is available for VORP, half of the player's win shares were used in its place to calculate their 爆料TV score. Basketball Hall of Fame inductees were given a minimum of 60% for their Hall of Fame probability, indicating a worthy r茅sum茅 for their time but not up to par with some modern players. Scores were normalized to 100 based on the scoring leader. Keep reading to see where your favorite players fall on the list.
#38. Bol Bol
- 爆料TV score: 1.0
- 44th overall pick in 2019
- Played three seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 6.2 PTS, 3.5 REB, 0.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 5.0 win shares, -0.4 box plus/minus, 1.1 VORP
#37. Francisco Elson
- 爆料TV score: 1.0
- 41st overall pick in 1999
- Played three seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 3.7 PTS, 3.5 REB, 0.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 11.7 win shares, -2.7 box plus/minus, -1.3 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2007 NBA Champ
#36. Peyton Watson
- 爆料TV score: 1.1
- 30th overall pick in 2022
- Played four seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 8.7 PTS, 3.5 REB, 1.3 AST
- Advanced statistics: 7.8 win shares, -1.8 box plus/minus, 0.3 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2023 NBA Champ
#35. Juan Hernang贸mez
- 爆料TV score: 1.1
- 15th overall pick in 2016
- Played three seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 5.0 PTS, 3.3 REB, 0.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 8.7 win shares, -1.9 box plus/minus, 0.1 VORP
#34. Blair Rasmussen
- 爆料TV score: 1.3
- 15th overall pick in 1985
- Played six seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 9.6 PTS, 5.7 REB, 0.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 19.0 win shares, -3.2 box plus/minus, -3.4 VORP
#33. Linas Kleiza
- 爆料TV score: 1.5
- 27th overall pick in 2005
- Played four seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 8.7 PTS, 3.6 REB, 0.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 13.6 win shares, -2.3 box plus/minus, -0.7 VORP
#32. Bones Hyland
- 爆料TV score: 1.6
- 26th overall pick in 2021
- Played one season with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 9.2 PTS, 2.1 REB, 2.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 7.4 win shares, -0.2 box plus/minus, 2.0 VORP
#31. Danny Fortson
- 爆料TV score: 2.0
- 10th overall pick in 1997
- Played two seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 8.2 PTS, 7.2 REB, 0.7 AST
- Advanced statistics: 22.3 win shares, -3.2 box plus/minus, -2.6 VORP
#30. Ryan Bowen
- 爆料TV score: 2.3
- 55th overall pick in 1998
- Played five seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 2.6 PTS, 2.1 REB, 0.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 12.4 win shares, -0.8 box plus/minus, 2.0 VORP
#29. Kurt Nimphius
- 爆料TV score: 2.7
- 47th overall pick in 1980
- Career averages: 6.4 PTS, 4.4 REB, 1.2 AST
- Advanced statistics: 17.5 win shares, -1.6 box plus/minus, 1.3 VORP
#28. Christian Braun
- 爆料TV score: 2.7
- 21st overall pick in 2022
- Played four seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 9.6 PTS, 3.9 REB, 1.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 16.4 win shares, -1.0 box plus/minus, 1.8 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2023 NBA Champ
#27. Jeff McInnis
- 爆料TV score: 2.9
- 37th overall pick in 1996
- Played one season with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 9.4 PTS, 2.0 REB, 4.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 23.1 win shares, -2.1 box plus/minus, -0.3 VORP
#26. Otis Smith
- 爆料TV score: 3.0
- 41st overall pick in 1986
- Played one season with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 10.5 PTS, 3.8 REB, 1.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 12.3 win shares, 0.2 box plus/minus, 4.2 VORP
#25. Jarred Vanderbilt
- 爆料TV score: 3.5
- 41st overall pick in 2018
- Played one season with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 5.6 PTS, 5.9 REB, 1.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 18.6 win shares, -0.2 box plus/minus, 3.3 VORP
#24. Malik Beasley
- 爆料TV score: 3.9
- 19th overall pick in 2016
- Played three seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 11.7 PTS, 2.8 REB, 1.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 20.1 win shares, -0.9 box plus/minus, 3.7 VORP
#23. Gary Harris
- 爆料TV score: 4.4
- 19th overall pick in 2014
- Played six seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 9.9 PTS, 2.2 REB, 1.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 27.5 win shares, -1.4 box plus/minus, 2.6 VORP
#22. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
- 爆料TV score: 4.8
- Third overall pick in 1990
- Played six seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 14.6 PTS, 1.9 REB, 3.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 25.2 win shares, -0.8 box plus/minus, 4.5 VORP
#21. Tony Battie
- 爆料TV score: 4.9
- Fifth overall pick in 1997
- Played one season with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 6.1 PTS, 5.1 REB, 0.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 36.4 win shares, -1.8 box plus/minus, 0.8 VORP
#20. Monte Morris
- 爆料TV score: 5.1
- 51st overall pick in 2017
- Played five seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 9.4 PTS, 2.3 REB, 3.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 24.7 win shares, 0.2 box plus/minus, 5.6 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 0.0%
#19. Evan Fournier
- 爆料TV score: 5.4
- 20th overall pick in 2012
- Played two seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 13.6 PTS, 2.7 REB, 2.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 30.5 win shares, -1.1 box plus/minus, 4.3 VORP
#18. Bryant Stith
- 爆料TV score: 5.5
- 13th overall pick in 1992
- Played eight seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 10.1 PTS, 3.4 REB, 2.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 29.5 win shares, -0.8 box plus/minus, 4.9 VORP
#17. LaPhonso Ellis
- 爆料TV score: 5.8
- Fifth overall pick in 1992
- Played six seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 11.9 PTS, 6.5 REB, 1.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 32.8 win shares, -1.0 box plus/minus, 4.6 VORP
#16. Terry Mills
- 爆料TV score: 6.3
- 16th overall pick in 1990
- Career averages: 10.6 PTS, 5.4 REB, 1.3 AST
- Advanced statistics: 33.3 win shares, -0.6 box plus/minus, 5.9 VORP
#15. Michael Porter
- 爆料TV score: 6.8
- 14th overall pick in 2018
- Played six seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 17.3 PTS, 6.5 REB, 1.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 29.4 win shares, 1.0 box plus/minus, 8.9 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2023 NBA Champ
#14. Bobby Jackson
- 爆料TV score: 7.5
- 23rd overall pick in 1997
- Played one season with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 9.7 PTS, 3.1 REB, 2.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 31.4 win shares, 0.4 box plus/minus, 10.0 VORP
#13. Kenneth Faried
- 爆料TV score: 7.6
- 22nd overall pick in 2011
- Played seven seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 11.4 PTS, 8.1 REB, 1.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 38.8 win shares, 0.5 box plus/minus, 7.5 VORP
#12. Jusuf Nurki膰
- 爆料TV score: 7.7
- 16th overall pick in 2014
- Played two seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 11.8 PTS, 8.9 REB, 2.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 34.7 win shares, 0.4 box plus/minus, 9.5 VORP
#11. Rodney Rogers
- 爆料TV score: 8.3
- Ninth overall pick in 1993
- Played two seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 10.9 PTS, 4.5 REB, 2.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 38.8 win shares, -0.3 box plus/minus, 9.7 VORP
#10. Raef LaFrentz
- 爆料TV score: 8.4
- Third overall pick in 1998
- Played three seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 10.1 PTS, 6.1 REB, 1.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 39.4 win shares, 0.7 box plus/minus, 9.8 VORP
#9. Ty Lawson
- 爆料TV score: 10.1
- 18th overall pick in 2009
- Played six seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 12.7 PTS, 2.7 REB, 6.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 42.1 win shares, 1.4 box plus/minus, 13.6 VORP
#8. Jalen Rose
- 爆料TV score: 10.3
- 13th overall pick in 1994
- Played two seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 14.3 PTS, 3.5 REB, 3.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 47.2 win shares, -0.2 box plus/minus, 12.3 VORP
#7. James Posey
- 爆料TV score: 11.3
- 18th overall pick in 1999
- Played three seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 8.6 PTS, 4.7 REB, 1.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 51.6 win shares, 0.3 box plus/minus, 13.7 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2x NBA Champ
#6. Jamal Murray
- 爆料TV score: 11.9
- Seventh overall pick in 2016
- Played nine seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 18.9 PTS, 3.8 REB, 5.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 47.6 win shares, 1.4 box plus/minus, 16.5 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 0.7%
- Accolades
--- 2023 NBA Champ
--- 2025-26 All-NBA
--- 1x All Star
#5. Antonio McDyess
- 爆料TV score: 13.5
- Second overall pick in 1995
- Played six seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 12.0 PTS, 7.5 REB, 1.3 AST
- Advanced statistics: 69.8 win shares, -0.1 box plus/minus, 13.2 VORP
- Accolades
--- 1998-99 All-NBA
--- 1x All Star
#4. Nen锚 Hil谩rio
- 爆料TV score: 15.9
- Seventh overall pick in 2002
- Played nine seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 11.3 PTS, 6.0 REB, 1.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 73.3 win shares, 1.0 box plus/minus, 18.8 VORP
#3. Dikembe Mutombo
- 爆料TV score: 42.8
- Fourth overall pick in 1991
- Played five seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 9.8 PTS, 10.3 REB, 1.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 117.0 win shares, 1.7 box plus/minus, 33.9 VORP
- Accolades
--- 4x Def. POY
--- 2x TRB Champ
--- 3x All-NBA
--- Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
#2. Carmelo Anthony
- 爆料TV score: 43.0
- Third overall pick in 2003
- Played seven seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 22.5 PTS, 6.2 REB, 2.7 AST
- Advanced statistics: 108.5 win shares, 1.3 box plus/minus, 36.7 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2012-13 Scoring Champ
--- 6x All-NBA
--- 10x All Star
--- Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
#1. Nikola Joki膰
- 爆料TV score: 63.5
- 41st overall pick in 2014
- Played 11 seasons with Denver Nuggets
- Career averages: 22.2 PTS, 11.1 REB, 7.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 142.9 win shares, 10.6 box plus/minus, 82.5 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 99.9%
- Accolades
--- 2023 NBA Champ
--- 3x MVP
--- 2022-23 Finals MVP
--- 2025-26 TRB Champ
