The Denver Nuggets' 2023 NBA playoff run was flat-out historic. Heading into the postseason, plenty of folks wrote off the Nuggets and didn't think they were a legitimate threat to win the NBA championship over teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Golden State Warriors. But fast forward to the current day, and it's clear that the Nuggets proved all of their doubters very wrong.

The Denver Nuggets eliminated Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in fives games in round one, Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns in six games in round two, and LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in four games in the Western Conference Finals. Then, the Nuggets beat Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in five games in the NBA Finals to secure the franchise's first NBA title. Nikola Jokic helped carry the Nuggets to a championship and put together an individual run for the ages, as he averaged 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game across 20 playoff games during Denver's title run.

The Denver Nuggets' 2022-23 season was magical, and a solid 2023 NBA Draft could have further increased their chances of repeating as NBA champions in 2024. Unfortunately, though, the Nuggets did not have a great draft, or even a good one, to be frank.

The Denver Nuggets had three picks in the 2023 NBA Draft and one first-rounder. Specifically, the Nuggets owned the 29th, 32nd, and 37th picks, which they used to select Gonzaga guard Julian Strawther, Penn State guard Jalen Pickett, and Clemson forward Hunter Tyson, respectively. And the Nuggets made a big mistake by not using some/all of these picks to trade up higher into the first round. With all of that said, let's look at one big mistake that the Denver Nuggets made in the 2023 NBA Draft:

1 big mistake by Nuggets in 2023 NBA Draft

Not trading up to pick 21 to select Cam Whitmore

It seems like in every NBA Draft, there's at least one highly regarded prospect who falls lower in the draft than many expect him to. This year, Villanova forward Cam Whitmore was that prospect, a prospect who many assumed would hear his name called within the first ten picks of the 2023 NBA Draft.

Whitmore didn't even get drafted in the lottery. He fell all the way to 20, where the Houston Rockets picked him up in what may go down in a few years as one of the biggest steals in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Whitmore, a 6'7″ wing who weighs 232 pounds, showed intriguing two-way potential in his one year with the Villanova Wildcats.

Starting with the offensive side of the ball, he is a versatile scorer who got buckets from both inside and outside the three-point arc. Whitmore shot an efficient 57.8% on two-point fields for the season and converted 34.3% of his three-point attempts on 4.2 tries per game.

And on the defensive end of the floor, he used his length to bother wings and guards alike — he averaged an impressive 1.4 steals per game with the Villanova Wildcats.

The main reason that Denver should have traded up in the draft for Whitmore is that he would have been a great safety blanket for the Nuggets at the wing spot now that Bruce Brown is going to the Indiana Pacers. Whitmore could have been a rotation player off the bench for the defending NBA champions from day one.