Jalen

Pickett

This will be a third straight absence for Nnaji, though he is now being listed with an adductor issue instead of back pain. His continued absence won’t have much of a fantasy impact. Pickett has barely seen the floor during his rookie year, so his absence won’t impact their rotation either.

Two days removed from scoring 21 points in a loss to the Jazz, Strawther exceeded that total to help the Nuggets pick up their first win in Las Vegas. Denver’s three draft picks are all older players, which could mean that they’re better prepared to compete for rotation minutes right away. Strawther, Hunter Tyson (31 points vs. Miami), and Jalen Pickett (11/3/4/1/1 with one 3-pointer in 28 minutes) all performed well on Friday, with each shooting better than 50% from the field while combining for one turnover (committed by Pickett).

Strawther was responsible for Wednesday’s “bad beat of the night,” as his banked-in three as time expired resulted in a loss for bettors who took the Jazz as a 5.5-point favorite. The rookie wing had a good night scoring-wise, as he was the lone player in the game to surpass the 20-point mark. Whether or not Strawther can earn rotation minutes when the season begins will likely depend on what he does defensively. The same can be said for fellow rookie Jalen Pickett, who finished Wednesday’s defeat with 12 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and three blocked shots in 31 minutes.

Tyson was one of three rookies to join the defending champs in the draft, with Julian Strawther and Jalen Pickett also being selected between the late first and early second rounds. All three were solid in their first Summer League games, with Strawther scoring 15 points and Pickett posting 12/6/5/3 line. It’s unclear what kind of role all three will have, but they all seem ready to contribute as rookies.