THE NBA Draft has wrapped up, and the next crop of players at the top level are now fully entrenched in their respective teams as season approaches in the coming months.

In fact, with the Summer League taking place over the past few weeks, some of the brightest draftees have already begun making a name for themselves in the NBA, with a fair few catching the eye with dominant performances.

Given the draft has concluded, Rookie Me Central will be taking a look at how each side fared on one of the biggest nights on the basketball calendar.

The next batch of teams to dissect are the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans, all of whom were active in pursuing the best talent available on draft night.

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets entered the draft with just one pick, but thanks to some clever trading, ended up with three young pieces for the future after winning this year’s NBA Championship.

The Nuggets made their first move by trading up to acquire Julian Strawther, who was initially selected by the Pacers at pick 29. A small forward, Strawther is a natural scorer, and could develop into a seriously impactful offensive player. He can shoot the ball from distance, but also create plays off the dribble with ease, and although he may need to develop at G-League level, could reward Denver in the future.

Next up, the Nuggets picked up Jalen Pickett via trade once again, clearly liking what they saw from the Penn State guard. Although he stands just six-foot-four, Pickett plays well above his height, and led his school to the Big Ten by registering the most points, rebounds, assists and steals over the team’s campaign. He can finish at the rim with ferocity and will only get better with the more time he spends on the court.

The Nuggets finally added Hunter Tyson with the 37th pick in the draft, a six-foot-eight forward out of Clemson. Although he is older than many of his peers in this draft class at 23, Tyson is a readymade NBA prospect, who can shoot the ball well from deep.

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers were also extremely active on the trade front, looking to get the best possible players for the upcoming season.

The Pacers held pick seven coming into the draft, but moved down one selection after trading with the Washington Wizards and selected Jarace Walker. The power forward has an all-around game and fully displayed this during the Summer League, where he overcame some wayward shooting to impact the game in a number of ways, and should see plenty of court time in the upcoming season.

Next up, the Pacers picked up Ben Sheppard at pick 26. A guard out of Belmont, he brings plenty of size to the backcourt, while also demonstrating a tremendous shooting touch that makes him dangerous from anywhere in the halfcourt. With Tyrese Haliburton locked in as the team’s point guard for the future, Sheppard’s ability to play off-ball is crucial.

A familiar face for Aussie basketball fans was selected by the Pacers at pick 47, with Indiana adding Mojave King. King grew up in Australia before moving to the G-League, where he was able to showcase his skills and earn a spot at the top level. He looms as a long-term project for the Pacers, but has all of the tools to thrive in the NBA.

With their final pick of the night, the Pacers picked up Isaiah Wong with the 55th selection of the draft. He is a guard out of Miami, where he was able to showcase his shot-creation skills and find the bottom of the net with ease. Although there are a fair few guards at Indiana competing for spots in the future, Wong certainly has plenty to bring on the offensive end.

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans were not as active as the teams discussed above, but still added one strong prospect via the draft system.

The Pelicans picked up Jordan Hawkins with pick number 14, who has shown plenty of promise prior to the start of his NBA career. The guard suited up for New Orleans in the recent Summer League competition, and although he struggled with accuracy from behind the arc, the foundation of a strong scoring career was evident as he poured in double-digits on multiple occasions.