The second part of this list that involves a key piece of the Nuggets current playoff run through the West is the former Iowa State Cyclones standout point guard Monte Morris. Totaling more than 6.0 win shares this season and 10.4 points per game, Morris showed his value in Denver almost immediately.
In the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft, the Nuggets did a great job by snagging a key piece of the rotation in Morris. Few players in the NBA were able to exceed expectations early in their careers quite like Morris has. He’s blown those expectations out of the water and is already posting a career player efficiency rating as a regular rotation player above 16.0.
Morris is a bit older than the usual second round selection out of the draft. He did have multiple years of starting experience as the floor general for Iowa State. But, the improvement that he showed in his game in his first two seasons in the league is incredibly admirable.
The combination of Brooks and Morris getting drafted in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft makes it difficult for the Chicago Bulls to swallow not having a pick in that round of that draft. What hurts even more is that the Bulls need depth at point guard, especially with one that is shooting better than 41 percent from beyond the arc in his career.