Chauncey Billups’ legs should be a bit fresher next season now that the Denver Nuggets have selected University of North Carolina guard Ty Lawson in last night’s NBA draft. The Nuggets had their sights on Lawson from the beginning, writes Hoops World. Lawson is a bit small by NBA standards–6-feet-tall, 195 pounds–but his blinding speed and great shot should help him overcome most obstacles, The Associated Press points out.

The former Tar Heel led his team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship last year but now finds himself at the bottom of a four-guard rotation on the Nuggets’ bench. Billups is still the starter–and there’s also Anthony Carter and Jason Hart. Hart likely won’t return to the team, but Nuggets coach George Karl wants to keep Carter and make Lawson battle for minutes.

Chances are, though, that Lawson is the Nuggets’ guard of the future and was brought in to train under the steady instruction of Billups. After all, the Nuggets gave up a high first-round pick in next year’s draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves to acquire him (via The Denver Post).