Nuggets selected Bryce Hopkins with the No. 49 pick in the NBA Draft.
A highly-regarded recruit out of high school, the 6-foot-6 Hopkins played one season at Kentucky before transferring to Providence. After three seasons there, the second of which was interrupted by a torn ACL, he transferred to St. John’s for his final campaign. During his lone season in Queens, Hopkins showed that the knee wasn’t an issue, making 37 starts and averaging 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 three-pointers per game. And he shot the ball reasonably well, putting up percentages of 46.9 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from three and 71.3 percent from the foul line. Tim Hardaway Jr. is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the Nuggets can use additional wing depth regardless of what happens with the veteran. Hopkins will need to rely on his improved defense early on, and he may benefit from playing off stars Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.
