Denver Nuggets roster news 2015: Has Emmanuel Mudiay struck gold?

Emmanuel Mudiay[photo: Commons Wikimedia/TonyTheTiger]

Emmanuel Mudiay, a 19 year-old guard who was expected to be one of the top two guards to be picked in the previous 2015 NBA Draft, seems to be at home with the Denver Nuggets.

Even though he surprisingly dropped to the seventh pick when most folks expected him to be among the top four, such seems to hardly matter for the Congolese who forewent college ball to play for the Guangdong Tigers in China.

And apparently, such has added to the hype, seeing that the incoming frosh has the experience and the skills which he already showed in the NBA Summer League recently.

In a couple of months, Mudiay will take it up a notch as he makes his professional debut for the Nuggets when the NBA opens shop in October.

Mudiay is expected to fill in the starting point guard role, something that used to belong to Ty Lawson. The troubled guard is, of course, now with the Houston Rockets, although it remains to be seen if Lawson would be fit to play when the NBA opens the 2015–16 NBA season.

"Every team kept passing, passing, and I said, 'If it's Denver, it's the best situation for me,' " Mudiay said via the Washington Post. "I thank God for that. He knew exactly where I was supposed to be," he added.

Denver, of course, was every bit surprised that Mudiay was still available when it was time for them to select the seventh pick.

Pre-draft rumors suggested that Mudiay would have been gone by the fourth pick, something that belonged to the New York Knicks.

Apparently the draft forecast changed dramatically. It started perhaps with the Knicks selecting Kristaps Porzingis, the Magic opting to go for Mario Hezonja, and the Sacramento Kings picking up Willie Cauley-Stein.

Regardless, his drop to seventh doesn't seem to bother Mudiay who comes at the right time as the Nuggets aim to shore up its backcourt.

Before his coming, Lawson was already being shopped so his availability was perfect.

Heading into the coming season, will he prove his worth as the Nuggets new and future starting point guard?