Bryce Hopkins produces 24 points, five ‘stocks’

Hopkins, whose contract status for next season has not been finalized, has played well throughout the Nuggets’ time in Las Vegas. The former St. John’s forward shot 3-of-6 from beyond the arc on Thursday and was a blocked shot shy of a complete stat line. Depending on what happens with Peyton Watson, who is a restricted free agent, Hopkins’ fantasy ceiling as a rookie will be limited. That said, he has the experience and skill set needed to contribute immediately if called upon.

While Trevon Brazile stole the show with his 32-point effort, Hopkins supplemented his fellow rookie’s night with another quality performance. Hopkins’ stat line was missing only a blocked shot, and he made five of his 11 two-point attempts. Denver has yet to finalize its offseason business, as restricted free agent Peyton Watson is still on the market. That said, Hopkins offers the combination of talent and experience that could lead to opportunities to contribute off the bench next season. That isn’t enough to make him fantasy-relevant, but things could be far worse for Hopkins.

Hopkins did not do as much scoring as he did in his summer debut on Friday, but the rookie out of St. John’s had another solid effort for the Nuggets. His activity as a rebounder and defender has been good; playing his final season for Rick Pitino certainly paid dividends on that end of the floor. Whether he’s on a two-way deal or a standard contract, Hopkins has the tools needed to contribute if his name is called during the regular season.

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.