The history of the NBA Draft is filled with both hidden gems and expensive mistakes.
The Denver Nuggets illustrate this duality, discovering one of the best players ever for Nikola Djokic in 41st place in 2014, and discovered a big error just a year later.
In the 2015 NBA Draft, Denver held its seventh pick and was able to select Devin Booker or other players such as Miles Turner, Bobby Portis, Kevon Rooney and Norman Powell.
Instead, they chose Emmanuel Mudiai. Emmanuel Mudiai was rated by ESPN as the best three-person outlook, but it didn’t meet his potential.
Mudiay showed early promise with double-digit scoring averages in his first two seasons before trading with the New York Knicks.
After a short 14.8 points per game bounce back season, his NBA career stagnated, leading to stints overseas in Lithuania and now Puerto Rico.
Recently, Mudiay explained his decision to play abroad, revealing the challenges facing young lottery picks competing with established veterans.
“You’re certainly chosen highly, you change my life, change my family’s life, and at the same time, you started over from scratch, that’s what people don’t understand, your basketball life began,” explained Mudiay.
“In many cases, some vets aren’t going to say it all. They’re not happy with the young people coming in. For me, it was a adjustment at the same time as I made some mistakes early.”
Mudiay explained how economic disparities affected team decisions and time allocations.
“I was in Denver a bit, but then I felt it was time to move on. When you fight a political battle, I think it’s a tough battle. If someone makes 25-3 million dollars and makes 3-4, I think it’s going to make a big part of the time they go with what they’ve invested,” he added.
The previous lottery pick reflects whether Denver provided the best environment for his development, noting that draft position alone does not guarantee success without proper circumstances.
“It was cool to be drafted at 7, but now I’m thinking about it. ‘Did you have the right situation for me, you have to be in the best situation for yourself, so you have to make sure you can thrive,” Mudiay said.
“When you’re old and love this game, you’re not going to sit down and make them toys with you. I’m going to go and do what I do and do it at the high level I know.”
His comments gained additional context in light of Denver’s seventh selection of Jamal Murray in 2016, and became the cornerstone of success along with Jokic.
Mudiay’s experience shows how organizational dynamics, veteran relationships, and situational fit affect the career trajectory of younger players, regardless of their draft position or early potential.