The Denver Nuggets held their first mini-camp practice on Monday in preparation for the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, which the team will be participating in starting on Friday.
With the Nuggets Summer League roster already in place, the practice on Monday was the first time for young players to get more familiar with each other before jetting off to Las Vegas.
The main anticipation at mini-camp was to see Denver’s first round pick Emmanuel Mudiay. The talented 19-year-old will join a Summer League roster that includes Gary Harris, Erick Green and Joffrey Lauvergne as the only Nuggets players to see any court time last season. The rest of the roster is made up of players who will be vying for invites to training camp and possibly a spot on a D-League squad.
Mudiay, who has not played meaningful basketball games since March, got his first taste of full-court five-on-five hoops with his Nugget teammates.
Talking to reporters after, Mudiay said he is fine with many people not knowing his name or style of game. “Everybody, they’re sleeping on me, I guess you could say. Let them keep sleeping. I’m going to go out there and just play my game.”
He understands there are more question marks around his game than for other players who have played college basketball. That means extra work and extra questions, something that comes natural for Mudiay.
It didn’t take long for first-year Nuggets head coach Michael Malone to take note. “I love his curiosity,” the coach said. “A very inquisitive young man, when you speak to him, you don’t think you’re talking to a 19-year-old. He’s wise beyond his years.”
As Nugget fans know, maturity is something that the Nuggets have lacked in recent years. Mudiay appears to offer a changing of the guard.
His first practice seemed like a good indication. “Some of the passes he made today?” Malone said, shaking his head. “He makes the game very simple. He finds the open man and makes everyone around him better.”
For Mudiay, he is all about being a team player. “My job is to give everybody confidence as a point guard. You want to make everyone feel like they can make the team, be on the NBA team, by being positive. That’s going to bring the best out of them.”
On his upcoming Summer League debut, Mudiay was filled with anticipation, “I’m gonna go over there and compete and do what I do and try to win…that’s the main I’m really pumped about.”
The 6-foot-5 Mudiay is already talking about winning the NBA Summer League.
This winner’s attitude Mudiay has, you hope will become infectious in the Nuggets locker-room for years to come.
You have to hate to lose more than you love to win and Mudiay seem’s to fit that description.
Now, most importantly he needs to prove that he can translate his actions to the court when the games matter.
Be sure to check out Mudiay in first official summer league game this Friday vs. Atlanta at 6 p.m. MDT. All Nuggets Summer League games will be broadcast on Altitude Sports & Entertainment.
Sammy Mugharbil, a Mile High Sports intern and student at MSU-Denver contributed to this report.
