Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:

NBA Insider

Billy Donovan took a detour to give Jamal Murray his flowers prior to Monday’s game.

The Bulls’ coach fielded a question about Coby White’s growing reputation after Chicago’s 25-year-old guard won another Player of the Week award.

“A guy that I’ve always had unbelievable respect for that never got, in my opinion, the proper due, is Jamal Murray,” Donovan said. “(Nikola) Jokic is great. You get all the accolades that he gets that are well-deserved. But with what Murray’s been able to do throughout his career, I don’t know if he gets mentioned in those lights. But I would tell you, right now, across the league, I know I, as a coach, have unbelievable respect for how good he is.”

Donovan was surprised to learn Murray doesn’t have an All-Star appearances to his name.

“Zero? That, to me, speaks volumes, you know what I mean? Because I know, just watching that guy play over his career, he’s an unbelievable competitor, unbelievable winner, and they don’t win a championship without him, and Jokic is great,” Donovan said. “I love him as a player. I love everything about him. He’s a winner. He’s a competitor. But certainly Murray has not gotten that same kind of credit, and he probably deserves that.”

Slow starts have been the biggest reason Murray’s yet to make an All-Star appearance. But he’s following his usual trend of improving his play over the course of the season. After averaging fewer than 20 points per game in the first two months of the season, Murray’s played his best ball in February and March. Last month, Murray averaged 24.7 points, 5.6 assists and 1.3 steals, while shooting better than 52% from 3-point range. The playmaking has leveled up this month. Murray entered Monday’s game against Donovan’s Bulls averaging 23.1 points with 6.2 assists against 1.4 turnovers.

“Sometimes you can’t dictate or control what people are going to be focused on or featured and those kinds of things. But for coaches and players in the league, when you’re playing on a nightly basis, even though certain guys aren’t getting that kind of publicity – and not to say Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) or Jokic or (Anthony) Edwards or Luka (Doncic) shouldn’t get that exposure – they should. They’re unbelievable players, but Coby doesn’t have the ability to change that. Neither does Murray, and Murray’s won a championship. I don’t even know how many times he’s been an All-Star.”

What I’m Thinking

It’s a bad year for the Nuggets to not have a draft pick.

Denver’s first-round pick is going to Orlando as part of the Aaron Gordon trade from 2021, while Denver’s second-round selection will be made by either Phoenix or Philadelphia. Given Denver’s financial commitment to the core four and Christian Braun and Peyton Watson becoming eligible for extensions it might make sense to try to get into the draft to get a young and cheap contributor.

Here’s a player that would make sense for the Nuggets at each part of the draft.

Late lottery

If the Nuggets feel like they need to get into the top 14, that’s probably the result of a disappointing playoff performance and a big offseason shakeup. Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. or Aaron Gordon would likely have to be involved for a team to give up a lottery pick given Denver’s lack of draft capital. If the Nuggets get into the lottery, it figures to be somewhere in the 10-14 range. That’s a perfect spot to land Maryland big man Derik Queen. Unfortunately for Colorado State fans, The 6-foot-10 freshman showed just how skilled he is with his game-winning shot against the Rams.

Late first round

A move to get into the back half of the second round would signal the need for a smaller change. The Nuggets would probably try to keep their top four around while still trying to get someone who could contribute immediately, which would be a difficult task. Colorado State’s Nique Clifford looks like a guy that could contribute immediately after an impressive season in Fort Collins. Teams can’t have enough 3-and-D wings these days, and Clifford has the skill and versatility to be just that. Hey, the last time the Nuggets had a Colorado Springs product on the roster, they ended the season with a championship parade.

Early second round

Getting into the early portion of the second round might be the most cost-effective move, though doing so without giving up a rotation player would be much easier if the Nuggets had future picks to move. That’s not the case. Michigan’s Danny Wolf would give the Nuggets another unique, 7-foot talent. Anyone needing proof of as much should watch Wolf’s passing in the final six minutes of the first half from Saturday’s win over Texas A&M. He and Queen are the two best passing big men in the draft.

Late second round

Congratulations to those who bet on a Creighton player being mentioned in this segment. Ryan Kalkbrenner is way different than Queen or Wolf. But the Bluejays’ big man comes with elite rim protection, a reputation as a strong lob finisher and growing confidence in his jumper. It probably wouldn’t take too much to get a pick in the 45-60 range, and Kalkbreen might be the best win-now option in that range.

What I’m Following

– Memphis’s hold on a spot in top-six spot in the Western Conference got a little trickier. Brandon Clarke, a reserve forward, is expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a significant PCL strain Wednesday in Portland. Clarke averaged 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in 19 minutes of playing time per game. He started 18 of his 64 appearances this season.

– The Boston Celtics will have a new owner and the club came at a record-breaking cost. Bill Chisholm, founder of private-equity firm Symphony Technology Group, paid a reported $6.1 billion. That’s slightly more than what the NFL’s Washington Commanders were recently sold for, and a couple of billion more than Mat Ishbia paid for the Suns a couple of years ago, which set the previous record for an NBA team.

What They’re Saying

The Nuggets held Aaron Gordon out of Monday’s game. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they did the same in Denver’s final back-to-back set of the season against Minnesota and San Antonio on April 1 and 2, respectively.

“We have to be really mindful of the reoccurring injuries that he’s had to battle all season,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said prior to Monday’s game against Chicago.