Denver Nuggets youngsters shine in 23 Summer League opener
Jul 7, 2023, 5:02 PM
The Denver Nuggets most recent draft picks shined in their NBA Summer League debuts, as second-rounder Hunter Tyson led them in a 92-85 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Tyson dropped 21 points on three makes from deep. Tyson, the No. 37 pick out of Clemson where he spent five seasons, signed his rookie deal earlier this week. It was his hits from beyond the arc, including a very hot first half that kept Denver atop the Bucks for most of the afternoon.
But it was the other Nuggets second-round pick who co-starred with Tyson. Jalen Pickett, who was selected at No. 32 in this summer’s NBA Draft, had a team-high five assists to go with his 12 points.
The most impressive Nugget though was a draft pick from last summer. Peyton Watson was simply flying in Las Vegas on Friday, getting to the rim at will and swatting shot after shot. The UCLA product, who had an impressive end to the 2022-23 regular season, scored a game-high 23 points, snagged five rebounds and blocked three shots.
First-rounder Julian Strawther hit a few big shots and had some nice moments, scoring 15 points while Nugget from last season Collin Gillespie, and last year’s second-round pick Ismaël Kamagate got the starting nods and did some nice things. Notably, Kamagate dealt with 7-foot-6 Taco Fall’s size admirably.
Eventually, the Bucks took charge thanks to a nice run in the third quarter led by MarJon Beauchamp.
The game took place on the campus of UNLV in front of Nuggets players Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Christian Braun and Michael Porter Jr. Also in attendance were Nuggets staffers Calvin Booth, Popeye Jones and David Adelman.
The Nuggets summer league squad is back in action on Sunday, you can check out Denver’s slate here. The crowd was pretty full as the folks in Nevada get ready for No. 1 NBA pick Victor Wembanyama’s debut later in the day.
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