With disappointing finishes the past few seasons, the Denver Nuggets had little options but go the rebuilding route to try to become more competitive in the tough Western Conference.

One of the first acts Denver did in the offseason was to trade away previous starting point guard Ty Lawson and immediately replaced him with a young court general in Emmanuel Mudiay who is expected to grow up with the team eventually run the squad from the starting PG spot.

Mudiay is just 19 years old but already pegged to start for Denver and run a team that features promising forwards like Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried.

Gallinari, who battled injuries the previous two seasons, averaged 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the 2012-2013 season. He is expected to be fully healthy for the upcoming season and could produce the same career-high numbers two years ago.

Gallinari also had an impressive stint for the Italian basketball national team at the 2015 FIBA Europe Championships where he had averages of 17.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

Meanwhile, Faried will be entering his fifth season in the NBA with career averages of 12.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and nearly 1 steal and 1 blocked shot per game. Faried will lead the frontcourt in Denver featuring inexperienced and international centres Joffrey Lauvergne (France), Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Jusuf Nurkic (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Mudiay has a bit of experience in playing professional basketball after suiting up for a season for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association where he averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game in 12 outings.

Except for Mudiay, who will be backed up by veteran PG Jameer Nelson, the backcourt rotation for Denver will feature a mix of second-tier guards and wingmen including Gary Harris, Randy Foye, Erick Green, Will Barton and Jamaal Franklin.

The only experienced players in the line-up are forwards Wilson Chandler and J.J Hickson, who may be used as trade baits in the upcoming season as the Nuggets try to rebuild their roster with more young guys rather than veterans who are not part of the long-term plan in Mile High City.

2015-2016 Denver Nuggets Projected Depth Chart:
Point Guards: Emmanuel Mudiay/Jameer Nelson/Erick Green
Shooting Guards: Gary Harris/Randy Foye/Jamaal Franklin
Small Forwards: Danilo Gallinari/ Wilson Chandler/Will Barton
Power Forwards: Kenneth Faried/J.J. Hickson/Darrell Arthur
Centres: Joffrey Lauvergne/Nikola Jokic/Jusuf Nurkic

Other 2015-2016 Season Team Previews:
Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond to spark rebuilding Detroit Pistons
Paul, Griffin and Jordan lead reloaded Los Angeles Clippers
Playoffs a tough task for rebuilding LA Lakers

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