Denver, CO
With Ismael Kamagate, The Denver Nuggets Have Help On Its Way
ANKARA, TURKIYE – OCTOBER 11: Berk Demir (11) of Turk Telekom in motion in opposition to Ismael Kamagate (8) … [+]
In an earlier piece, it was explored how, for all the Denver Nuggets’ defensive issues, there existed one specifically – their two-man centre rotation of Nikola Jokic and DeAndre Jordan.
However his unparalleled offensive greatness, Jokic provides one thing again defensively. He boards, he reads and he slaps on the ball, however he simply doesn’t transfer rapidly. Nor does Jordan, his new backup added over the offseason, who retains some verticality however little in the way in which of lateral velocity. With each halves of their centre rotation hampered by this similar limitation – and with no actual third smaller-ball possibility on the incumbent roster exterior of spot minutes for Aaron Gordon and Jeff Inexperienced, which might produce other drawbacks – the Nuggets are at present constructed in such a approach that they determine to have this drawback for the rest of the season.
Subsequent season, nonetheless, assist could also be on the way in which, within the type of this yr’s second-round decide.
Drafted 46nd total by the Detroit Pistons, Ismael Kamagate – or extra particularly, at this level, his draft rights – arrived in Denver by means of the Detroit Pistons, who traded them to the Portland Path Blazers as an ancillary a part of the Jerami Grant commerce, who instantly redirected them to the Nuggets in trade for a 2024 second-round decide. The Nuggets due to this fact took of venture that whoever could be out there to them with that decide in two yr’s time wouldn’t be nearly as good as Kamagate. And the early indications are, they could be proper.
Kamagate is spending his first post-draft season with Paris Basket, an upstart staff in France’s capital metropolis owned by former Minnesota Timberwolves govt David Kahn that solely got here into being 4 years in the past. In that point, they’ve rapidly propelled from the French decrease tier into the EuroCup, a second-tier intracontinental European competitors, the place they at present sit in third place in Group B with a 6-3 document. And on the centre not simply of the courtroom, however of that success, is Kamagate, a 21-year-old French massive into his fourth yr with the staff.
In 9 video games of EuroCup play thus far this season, Kamagate has recorded averages of 9.7 factors, 9.3 rebounds and a pair of.0 blocks in solely 25.4 minutes per recreation, and is within the operating for being the competitors’s Defensive Participant of the 12 months. His blocks totals are tied for probably the most within the competitors, whereas his rebounding ranks second solely to former Hawks draft decide Alpha Kaba. And though these fundamental counting stats go some approach to illustrate the impression Kamagate has on that finish of the courtroom, they don’t go far sufficient.
The draft intrigue in Kamagate centred round his defensive versatility. Lengthy, tall and wiry sturdy, he’s an actual space-eater, and he’s cellular in addition. Kamagate is a everlasting defensive presence, one way or the other who looms over opponents, and who has measurement, burst and lateral motion not often seen in a single so massive. He will get up and down the courtroom, in addition to within the air, in a short time.
Past the bodily profile, Kamagate’s consciousness could be very superior for his age. He strikes properly on the perimeter, with mobility, measurement and athleticism, and he’s notably good in house, studying the screens and the passing traces, coming in from the weak aspect, defending the basket, clearing the glass, and masking the bottom exterior, Though he seems to be fairly wiry, he’s not simply moved off the spot as soon as he will get there first. And he doesn’t even foul all that a lot within the course of both.
Albeit in a a lot decrease utilization function, Kamagate is an unavoidable presence on the offensive finish, too. At all times out there excessive within the halfcourt and really keen to run within the full courtroom, the Frenchman is vastly environment friendly as a finisher, largely by means of the benefit with which he dunks. Kamagate combines a blistering 79.7% capturing from the sector with an inexpensive mid-60s% free throw stroke that pairs with the occasional baseline jumper to recommend some extra capturing could also be in his future. Kamagate is a cautious curler who nonetheless does so with poise, who has proven some passing affinity on the transfer, and who’s getting extra bodily and aggressive on the basket over time.
To make use of the buzzwords of the day, whilst you can not give the ball to Kamagate when he’s standing nonetheless and obtain a lot aside from a move again out, he’ll nonetheless provide roll gravity and vertical spacing.
There are, in fact, offensive limitations past the shortage of the bounce shot. Kamagate demonstrates neither the perfect arms on the catch nor the strongest finishes contained in the lane, and if his body does tackle extra muscle over time, it would come at the price of a number of the velocity. The deal with is excessive and he struggles underneath duress, and, in accordance with the fashionable approach, he doesn’t publish up.
There are additionally defensive limitations; or a minimum of, there may be one specifically. At this level in his improvement, though head coach Will Weaver’s defensive recreation plan empowers (and depends upon) Kamagate to cowl a lot floor exterior, he overhelps. He could also be fluid and quick on switches and in assist conditions, however he can overdo it and quit shooters in pop motion. With their plethora of frontcourt shooters today, NBA groups will exploit this.
Minor cavils apart, nonetheless, there’s a lot to love about Kamagate as an NBA prospect. And probably the most likeable factor is that this isn’t merely potential or buzzword bingo. That is one thing he’s really doing, already, in opposition to high quality competitors.
Whereas the EuroCup is replete with gamers who both are, had been or could possibly be on the fringes of NBA rotations – Kamagate’s personal staff options fellow second-round decide Juhann Begarin, in addition to NBA veterans Axel Toupane, Jeremy Evans and Tyrone Wallace – it’s nonetheless a way beneath being within the rotation of a staff contending for the NBA title. Opponents sick of coping with the fixed onslaught that’s Jokic will mild up on the sight of a comparatively untested rookie like Kamagate. The Nuggets want a extra pressing answer than this of their short-term title problem.
What could also be true, although, is that Kamagate could possibly be part of it. Other than not having the rangy jumper of the fashionable stretch 5 – which is extra of a super than a actuality anyway – Kamagate performs in house, has size, velocity, the power to go excessive, smarts, and a powerful understanding of himself. He contributes on each ends, to a degree and in a way not simply discovered exterior of the NBA.
There’s due to this fact likelihood that, this time subsequent yr, he might be producing some high quality play in NBA minutes and other people might be questioning the place “this man” got here from. So now we all know. Detroit, through Portland.
Denver, CO
Prolonged ‘Welly weather,’ our first taste of winter and Lisa’s official first-snow prediction for Denver
Lisa Hidalgo and Ryan Warner were ready to bust out the rain boots for their September weather and climate chat.
Denver7’s chief meteorologist and the Colorado Public Radio host delved into a rare, days-long rainy stretch, our first taste of winter and the pair’s official first-snow-date prediction for Denver.
‘Welly weather’
“Two things happened this week that rarely happen in Colorado,” Warner said. “The first is that when I went to bed it was raining. I woke up and it was raining. And two, the rain meant I could wear my ‘Wellies,’ my Wellington boots.”
“These are rare events,” the green-rubber-boot-clad Warner quipped during the conversation.
Warner and Hidalgo held their conversation on the heels of an unusually rainy spell. In Colorado, rain storms often come and go quickly. This week’s rainfall, though, came during a slow-moving storm.
“It’s more the direction of it and where it camps out,” Hidalgo explained. “So as you get a low pressure system rolling through the state, and we get all this moisture that wraps around the back side of it, it jams up against the foothills. It’s called an upslope flow.”
In the winter, such a storm would’ve meant inches of snow in Denver. With September highs in the 50s, though, it came down as rain in town as it snowed in the high country.
First taste of winter
The National Weather Service in Boulder estimated Tuesday that “a widespread 5-10 inches” of snow fell at the highest elevations – above 10,500 to 11,000 feet – during the September 22-23 storm.
For the snow-lovers out there (keep scrolling if that’s not you)…
Some healthy snowfall over the past ~18 hrs for some of our higher elevations (mainly east of the Continental Divide above 10,500′).
Pictured: Dakota Hill (Gilpin Co; left); Killpecker (Larimer Co; right) #COwx pic.twitter.com/46surChItd
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) September 24, 2025
Hidalgo noted things would quickly warm up after what was the area’s first winter weather advisory of the season.
“But this is just a hint of what’s to come,” she said. “And, obviously, we’re going to see a lot more alerts as we get into fall and into winter.”
When will Denver see its first measurable snow?
On average, the first snowfall in Denver happens on Oct. 18. The window has already passed for our earliest first snow, which happened on Sept. 3. The latest first snow in Denver is Dec. 10 – Lisa’s birthday.
With all of that in consideration, Hidalgo predicted this year’s first snow in Denver would fall on Oct. 24.
Warner’s guess? A potentially soggy evening of trick-or-treating after an Oct. 29 first snow.
More weather in-depth
Lisa and Ryan touched on studies on potential connections between both lightning and snowmelt on Colorado’s year-round fire season. They also discussed a study that suggests the eastern half of Colorado is drying out faster than the western half.
For more in-depth weather analysis, watch their full weather and climate chat in the video player below:
Denver, CO
Some Park Hill residents feel Denver is failing on minority outreach in golf course discussion
Saturday morning at Park Hill’s Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center, the City of Denver held a community open house to talk about its next big project: the city park and open space that was formerly the Park Hill Golf Course.
“It’s quite rare for a city to have this large of a park coming in. So it’s really important to us that that process is driven by the community,” said Sarah Showalter, director of planning and policy at the city’s Department of Community Planning and Development.
Residents got to see the plans for the park and the future the city has in store for the surrounding neighborhood.
“The voters clearly said that 155 acres should be a park, but the community is still looking for access to food and to affordable housing,” said Jolon Clark, executive director of Denver Parks and Recreation.
It seemed to be a good turnout, which the city likes, but two groups that appeared to be underrepresented were Black and Latino people, which is a problem, since Park Hill is a historically Black neighborhood.
Helen Bradshaw is a lifelong Park Hill resident. She and Vincent Owens, another long-time resident, came to the open house and said the problem is simple: the city isn’t meeting the neighbors of color where they are.
“The people who are just the average go to work, they might be at work or they have to work today or, you know, they couldn’t get a babysitter or something like that,” Owens said. “A lot of the elders on my block, they’re not going to come to something like this. So, you need to canvass and actually go get the voice of opinion, or they don’t know about it.”
Bradshaw and Owens say they want a neighborhood park and space for the neighbors by the neighbors. They also want a grocery store and opportunities for people who were part of the neighborhood long before it became a gem for development.
The city says that’s what they want as well, and that’s why they want everyone in Park Hill to give their input until the project is done.
“People can go to ParkHillPark.org and they can fully get involved and find out what the next engagement is, how to provide their input, you know, through an email, through a survey,” said Clark.
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