Carl Berman 
20 Jun 2012 
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The Denver Nuggets finished with the six seed in the Western Conference and forced the L.A Lakers to a game seven in the first round of the playoffs. A big part of their team was Andre Miller who came off the bench and provided great energy and play making in the playoffs. His contract is finished this year and he will go to the team who will pay him the most. This might or might not be Denver. If Denver does not plan on re-signing Andre Miller they should replace him with the 38th or 50th pick in the draft and pick Darius Johnson-Odom.
Darius Johnson-Odom
Offensively, Johnson-Odom would fit in Denver’s fast break and drive and kick offense since he played that style with Marquette. In the NBA, Johnson-Odom would be a good combo guard coming off the bench. He can provide good energy, shot making and play making. He has the ability to shoot from off the dribble, fade away, catch and shoot, step back and has NBA three point range. His scoring ability will be his best quality during this rookie year. Also, Denver likes to play small with two point guards. Odom would play well with Lawson because Odom is used to playing without the ball. He has to work on his point guard skills in the half court if he becomes the back- up point guard.
Defensively, Johnson –Odom did well at Marquette. At the NBA level he will have to adjust to guarding the speed of point guards and the size of shooting guards. He plays the passing lanes, puts good ball pressure and stays in front of his player well at the college level. He can do this at the NBA level but needs time to adjust to the NBA game. Once he learns to use his size against point guards and his speed against shooting guards, he can be an above average defender who can guard multiple positions. This can be a value to Denver who likes to play small with attacking and trapping defenses.
Johnson- Odom was 2012 first team Big East this year. If Denver does not plan on re-signing Andre Miller, Denver should look to get a combo guard in the draft with the 38th or 50th pick. Darius Johnson- Odom would be a good fit for Denver because of his style of play and his NBA potential.
Steven Siewert is a guest correspondent for NetScouts Basketball. The opinions in this article are his and do not necessarily reflect the view of NetScouts Basketball.
