The Denver Nuggets used the 20th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft to select guard Evan Fournier from France. Mock drafts rarely -- if at all -- had the Nuggets taking an overseas player. He played for Poitiers this past season, not exactly the best team, according to the talking heads on ESPN. Fournier turns 20 in October.
In 2011, the Nuggets picked up power forward Kenneth Faried with the 22nd overall pick and received a productive rookie season from him. Jordan Hamilton was drafted several picks later by the Dallas Mavericks, but a three-team trade involving the Portland Trail Blazers landed him in Denver. He barely played as a rookie.
Will Fournier play his rookie season with an impact like Faried or will he warm the bench more often than not in 2012-13? Given Karl's tendency to not really play rookies often, Fournier might not see the floor much. As a shooting guard for the Nuggets, Fournier will battle with all of the wing players Denver has to see the court.
That is, if he doesn't wait a couple of years to come to the United States.
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