Julian Strawther’s shot is a big reason why the Nuggets selected him with the 29th overall pick in Thursday’s draft.

“When we brought him in for a pre-draft workout, he shoots it lights out,” Nuggets vice president of scouting Jim Clibanoff said in a video the team shared on social media Friday. “He’s a confident kid. He understands how to fit in, and he had the ability to stand out simultaneously when Gonzaga needed him to.”

The 6-foot-7 wing with a 6-foot-9 wingspan developed from a 3.4 point-per-game scorer and 32.1% 3-point shooter as a true freshman into a junior who averaged 15.2 points and made 40.8% from deep for the Bulldogs last season.

We looked at two of Gonzaga’s biggest games and a career night from Strawther to gauge what kind of player he can be for the Nuggets as soon as next season.

Jan. 28: No. 14 Gonzaga 82, Portland 67: 

If there’s any doubt Strawther can handle the increased distance between the NBA 3-point line and college distance, go watch Strawther’s 40-point performance against the Pilots where he went 8 of 12 from 3-point range.

The career-high performance started with a deep 3 a little more than three minutes into the game. A little more than a minute later, he used an off-ball screen at the free throw line to get back to the top of the key. Despite moving quickly away from the basket, Strawther’s able to set his feet and get his shot off for his second 3. A couple of 3s from the left wing followed in the next few minutes, giving him four triples in the first nine minutes.

Strawther closed the first half with a corner 3 off a kick-out pass from Drew Timme. Nikola Jokic frequently makes similar passes. His final points of the first half came when he used a ball screen to get inside the arc and hit a floater.

His first bucket of the second half was the result of his defense. He did a good job of helping in the post and poked a pass away from its intended recipient. Strawther got the ball back after running out in transition, beat a player with an inside-out dribble and finished in transition. It’s the type of play the Nuggets would like to Strawther make next season.

The final buckets of the highest-scoring game of his college career came on a few catch-and-shoot 3s, a couple of floaters and an uncontested putback.

The few lowlights came on the defensive end where he lost a man in transition in the first half and struggled to navigate a screen in the second half, which led to a Portland 3. Those are the kind of miscues that could limit his minutes as a rookie.

He finished the night with 40 points on 21 shots with six rebounds, three steals and an assist.

March 23: No. 3 Gonzaga 79, No. 2 UCLA 76 

Confidence shouldn’t be a concern after what Strawther showed in the final seconds of Gonzaga’s Sweet 16 showdown with the Bruins.

Despite starting 2 of 7 from 3-point range, Strawther sunk the game-winner in the final seconds.

With the Bulldogs down a point with just over 12 seconds to play, Mark Few borrowed a set from Jay Wright. Gonzaga ran the same play Villanova used to beat North Carolina in the 2016 national championship game.

Gonzaga guard Hunter Sallis dribbled the ball down court before flipping it back to Strawther, who trailed the play just like the Wildcats’ Kris Jenkins did seven years before. Strawther received the pass on the edge of the half-court logo and pulled up even though there were more than eight seconds left.

A late trip to the line gave him 16 points and 10 rebounds for the game and sent the Bulldogs back to the Elite Eight.

There were highs and lows from the 21-year-old before the pivotal play in the final sequence. He was late to help in the post on the Bruins’ first bucket and struggled to guard and struggled to navigate screens on and off the ball. On the positive, Strawther continued to display his ability to get to his lethal floater off the dribble and quickly relocate to the 3-point line and connect.

His third 3 of the game will go down as the biggest shot of his college career.

March 25: No. 4 Connecticut 82, No.3 Gonzaga 54 

Nothing went right for Strawther or most of his teammates with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

With the Huskies opening the game by double-teaming Timme on the inside, Strawther struggled to punish Connecticut’s opening strategy. He missed all six of his 3-point attempts but still attempted to make an impact in other ways, something that will be necessary as he continues as a professional.

With his outside shot not falling, Strawther drove for a pair of strong finishes over or around bigger defenders and hit a couple more of his trademark push-shot floaters from just inside the free throw line. He looked comfortable grabbing a contested defensive rebound, pushing the pace in transition and hitting a teammate in the corner for a 3.

Gonzaga’s collective team defense fell apart in the second half. At times, Strawther was the one struggling to find his assignment in transition or get caught watching the ball. Other times, his teammates put him in tough positions to succeed, as the Huskies cruised past the Bulldogs on their way to the national championship.

An uncharacteristic 3-point shooting night limited Strawther to 11 points and six rebounds in his final collegiate game. He’ll start his NBA career as a respected 3-point shooter with a lethal floater. There’s work to do defensively, but if he can clean up some of the mental lapses, there’s enough promise for him to be a regular contributor early in his NBA career.