Nuggets NBA draft picks 2023: When do Denver Nuggets pick? Order and more explored
The Denver Nuggets are fresh off winning the franchise's first championship in history and their victory parade at their hometown.
With the finish to the 2023 Finals, the focus now shifts to the upcoming NBA draft with the anticipation and excitement continuing to grow each day.
With 58 picks and two rounds of selections, when do the Denver Nuggets pick?
The first round of the draft contains 30 picks (1-30) while the second round contains 28 picks (31-58). Because of the championship season the Nuggets had, they will be making the 37th and the 40th picks in the 2023 NBA draft.
According to the mock draft done by CBS Sports' Kyle Boone, Amari Bailey from UCLA could be a good selection for the Nuggets with the 37th pick. Listed at 6-foot-3, Bailey averaged 11.2 points per game (49.5% shooting, including 38.9% from 3-point range).
For the 40th pick, Seth Lundy from Penn State could be a nice addition to the Denver Nuggets roster. Lundy did four years at Penn State to further improve his game. He finished his senior year averaging 14.2 ppg (45.0% shooting, including 40.0% from 3-point range) and 6.3 rebounds.
Both prospects for the Nuggets could prove to be pivotal developmental pieces next to Jamal Murray in building for the future.
The best young players that the draft offers are usually selected in the first round. However, based on league history, there are a number of steals made in the second round of the draft.
Aside from players like Draymond Green, Manu Ginobili, Marc Gasol, Maurice Cheeks, and Toni Kukoc, the Denver Nuggets struck gold with Nikola Jokic during the 2014 draft. He was selected 41st in the draft and has been one of the best centers playing in the game today.
Looking back, it was a huge steal for Denver to draft Jokic as he became the first player in Nuggets history to lead the franchise to its first championship in history.
Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone in the championship parade
Nuggets coach Michael Malone made headline news with the comments he made during the team's championship parade.
"You win Game 1 of the playoffs and all everybody talked about was the Lakers," Malone said. "The narrative was about the Lakers and their adjustments. So you know, you put that in your pipe, you smoke it, and you come back and you know what, we’re going to go up 2–0.”
Malone mentioned how the media were focusing more on the adjustments the LA Lakers made during their Western Conference finals matchup against Denver. However, despite the conversations surrounding these adjustments, the Lakers still failed to secure even one win in the series as they ended up getting swept.