In an interesting story for The Ringer, Logan Murdock observes that NBA teams are increasingly targeting young, cost-controlled role players to fill out their rosters in the tax apron era. Drafting players who have a chance to contribute immediately is particularly important for win-now teams like Denver.

Nuggets executive vice president of player personnel Jon Wallace spoke to Murdock about the challenges of identifying players who fit that mold now that college athletes are earning major paydays through name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. Not only has that reduced the talent pool in the draft, but it also makes it tricky to evaluate players based on their college situations.

As Murdock notes, while college players are incentivized to find schools where they can play major minutes and earn as much money as possible, that doesn’t necessarily translate to NBA success. Wallace suggests it may actually hurt their chances of becoming a viable role player in the league.

“I think within the NIL era, a lot of guys are thought to take the bigger deals with more money. They go to places where they can have more leeway,” Wallace told The Ringer. “But I think nowadays, you have to do certain things and see guys who have played with better players and see how they adapt to playing that role earlier in their career as opposed to later.”

Although “talent is obviously paramount to NBA success,” Murdock writes, teams also view basketball smarts and adaptability as key skills for young players.

“I think one of the things that’s undervalued is the ability to play hard,” Wallace said. “I think multiple efforts within the possession is really big from a defensive standpoint. From an offensive standpoint, being able to space, move, keep the offense fluid without just looking for your own shot.”

“I think guys underestimate the ability to get on the floor, to do what you have to do to help a team win,” Wallace told Murdock. “Can you have more of a direct-line skill set to help you have an immediate impact? To allow that trust and that long release from a coach, to where you can now build upon and kind of expand your game?”

As Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette writes, both of the Nuggets’ 2026 second-round picks — Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins — performed well at Summer League in Las Vegas. Brazile signed a four-year standard contract with Denver, while Hopkins remains unsigned.

Murdock also reports that the Warriors “strongly considered” drafting Aday Mara with the 11th overall pick in last month’s draft, but instead chose his ex-Michigan teammate Yaxel Lendeborg, a five-year college player. Mara was selected by the Thunder with the 12th pick and told Murdock he isn’t expecting to play significant minutes as a rookie on the deepest team in the league.