After making no selections in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets picked two players tonight in the second round. The second player they selected was Bryce Hopkins out of St. Johns with the 49th pick.

So who is Hopkins?

Hopkins is an interesting pick. While not being the flashiest or most accomplished player, he was very hyped coming out of high school and you can talk yourself into believing he’d have gone much higher in the draft if he hadn’t suffered a devastating injury early in his collegiate career. After being seldom used at Kentucky as a freshman, he transferred to Providence where he started all 33 games of his sophomore season and was named to the all Big East 1st team. Unfortunately, in early 2024 he tore his ACL which ended his junior season. He’d return to Providence the following year but a bone bruise, combined with his ACL recovery, kept him from playing all but three games in the ’24/’25 season. He transferred to St. Johns this past year and it took a bit for him to regain his footing. Once he did though he was one of the best players on St. John’s roster and capped off his college career with some electric performances in the NCAA tournament (including an 18 point outing on all threes against Kansas) while helping the Red Storm reach the Sweet 16.

Hopkins doesn’t have any elite skills but rather is a well rounded player who showed off some scoring ability at all three levels. He knows how to use his body to absorb contact and make space for himself while driving to the hoop and can finish well around the rim despite lacking in some athleticism (which could improve as he further distances himself from injuries). He’s also shown his nose for the ball and is an excellent rebounder given his size, though his numbers in that aspect did fall off a bit post injury.

The best NBA comp I come up with when watching Hopkins is Kyle Anderson. He plays bigger than he is (listed at just 6’6″ though has a 6’11” wingspan) and uses bball IQ and physicality to overcome a slow handle and first step. While he was a big positive for St. Johns in the tournament by stretching the floor, he hasn’t necessarily shown consistency in that realm and will need to continue to work on his shot. His release isn’t exactly quick and one has to wonder if he’ll be able to stay on the court if he can’t improve upon the 36% three point shooting that he put up in his two best seasons in the NCAA.

For the 49th pick of the draft he seems to be good value. If his play is closer to his sophomore year and tourney run with St. Johns then the Nuggets will potentially have a steal in the second round. He’ll compete for a guaranteed roster spot but don’t be surprised to see him end up on a two-way contract and spending a lot of time down in Grand Rapids (or is it up in Grand Rapids?). That’s probably the best place for him. While he leaves college as a senior, his injuries robbed him of nearly two seasons worth of games and his freshman year was spent riding pine. He needs to get live basketball minutes more than anything to continue improving and unless he makes a major leap over the summer it’s unlikely he gets those minutes at the NBA level this year.