Jameer Nelson’s been there and done that. With 11 NBA seasons under his belt, he’s one of the Nuggets’ battle-tested veterans and is a leader and mentor for the young players on the team.
Nelson knows it’s not easy and takes additional work. He also understands what it takes to get the young players to buy in.
"To be a leader you have to be uncomfortable," Nelson said. "You have to get extra shots up, you have to be early to be on time. You gotta hold yourself accountable, so then when you hold somebody else accountable they're not looking at you with a side eye. [Instead] they're like, 'He's doing it, he's showing us.' "
Emmanuel Mudiay, the Nuggets’ rookie starting point guard, holds Nelson’s experience in high regard.
"He has the most years, him and Mike Miller," Mudiay said. "They're the face and the leader of the team right now, so their voice matters. I'm just trying to learn from them, from Coach Malone and the staff and it's been doing me good so far."
In addition to his steady presence and mentoring acumen, Nelson has also been an integral part in contributing on the court. In December and January, he averaged 8.2 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.3 threes per game. He had two of his best games of the season during these months as well – Nelson posted a pair of 20 point, seven assist games on Dec. 11 and Jan. 2.
Leaders like Jameer don’t come around often, especially in a league with high expectations. But these are the types of guys you want around nurturing and teaching all the young talent on the team.
In December, Coach Michael Malone spoke of the trust he has in Nelson.
“We believe in Jameer because he’s a vet with tremendous experience, a very good leader on the court [and] in the locker room. And now you couple that with a young point guard like Emmanuel Mudiay, so Jameer can not only mentor him but push him.”
Now as one of the players who has extensive playoff experience, he has a chance to be there and do that again.
Check out some of Jameer's most memorable moments from the 2015-16 season in this photo gallery!