The 2012 NBA Draft Lottery is a few hours away, which will settle the order of the first 14 selections of the event, but that won't affect the Denver Nuggets all that much. They aren't in the lottery. However, how are mock drafts projecting the Nuggets before the lottery is settled? Over at DraftExpress, the Nuggets wind up with Kentucky Wildcats point guard Marquis Teague, taking him 20th overall.
The 19-year-old guard helped the Wildcats to a 2012 NCAA Tournament title, averaging 10.0 points, 4.8 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game.
At this point, it is still too early to guess accurately where the Nuggets are leaning. Ty Lawson is still under contract for a few more years and is likely to receive a long-term contract soon. Beyond Lawson, the Nuggets could lose Andre Miller, though general manager Masai Ujiri and coach George Karl want him back. Rookie Julyan Stone is an intriguing option given his size and skill set, but he played few minutes as a rookie.
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