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Denver Nuggets rookie guard Erick Green is what NBA fans would like to call a baller. He was drafted 46th overall by the Utah Jazz before the Nuggets acquired his rights in a trade. Luckily for Denver, they not only acquired the consensus ACC Player of the Year from Virginia Tech, they also snatched the 2012-13 NCAA scoring leader, averaging 25.03 points per game in his senior year.
If we take a look at Green’s improvement at Virginia Tech, he dramatically increased his point production from his freshman to senior years. Take a look at these numbers: Erick averaged 2.59 points per game his freshman year, 11.66 points per game his sophomore year, 15.58 points per game his junior season and, of course, his NCAA-leading 25.03 points per game his senior season.
Right now, Green is currently playing in Las Vegas with the Nuggets 2013 summer league team. There is no doubt EG will earn a roster spot with Denver, and NBA fans should have him on their radar for the Rookie of the Year award in the 2013-14 NBA season.
Look for EG to have a remarkable rookie season as backup point guard to Ty Lawson, and be a dangerous complement at shooting guard alongside another new Denver Nugget, Randy Foye. I understand that the Nuggets still have veteran point guard Andre Miller at the ripe old age of 37 on their roster. However, you don’t draft a player like Green without considering trading Miller in order to fill another need on the roster.
Picture Lawson and Green together in a two-point guard lineup shaking defenders out of their sneakers and breaking ankles. As the great Bill Raftery would say, “Lingerie on the deck.” Also, imagine EG and Foye spreading the floor and allowing Denver to become a lethal offensive team in the half-court set. This would be a sight for sore eyes as the Nuggets always thrive in transition, yet seem to have the inability to execute in half-court sets.
As I have alluded to in my title as well as throughout this article, Green can ball. He passes, what they call in sports, the eye test. Look for EG to surprise this year and compete for Rookie of the Year honors.
Randy Drautz is a Denver Nuggets writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RDrautz, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
