PORTLAND, Ore. – One of the first things Mason Plumlee knew he wanted to do when he got back to Portland was to hit up one of his favorite eateries. So on Monday evening he went Departure, an Asian-fusion restaurant downtown.
Then, he did what many players do when they get to town.
“I went over to the Nike store,” he said, grinning.
The weirdest thing about being back in Portland, where he spent a season and a half playing for the Trail Blazers before joining the Nuggets via trade in February?
“It was weird checking back into the hotel after walking around,” he said.
But eating and shopping were just the opening acts. Plumlee and his Nuggets teammates are in Portland to kick off an important five-game road trip as they battle for a spot in the playoffs. His return to the Pacific Northwest is nothing more than a footnote, Plumlee said.
“Winning tonight (would be) a big night,” Plumlee said. “It’s not about me. It’s not about the trade, or whatever. It’s just about winning and making these playoffs.”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone has raved about Plumlee from the first time the center put on a Nuggets’ uniform. He did again as reporters surrounded him after his team’s Tuesday morning shootaround, wanting to know how Plumlee has ingratiated himself to the Nuggets organization.
“He’s a guy that fits the culture that we have,” Malone said. “We want high character people, we want hard workers. And Mason is definitely that. The thing that was attractive about trading for Mason was that whether he’s in with Nikola Jokic or behind Nikola Jokic we can play the same way. Mason is a very willing and capable play maker. He’s a facilitator, makes plays for his teammates.
“On top of that he gives us an athletic rim protector and he gives us a guy in pick-and-roll offense who can generate plays at the rim or collapse a defense for kick-out threes on the perimeter. I love the guy. … And he fits in all aspects of the organization.”
In 17 games with the Nuggets, Plumlee is averaging 9.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 24.4 minutes. When he’s started (eight times), those averages bump up to 11.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 blocks.
“The guy just competes and wants to win,” teammate Will Barton said.
Plumlee said he’s feeling more comfortable with the Nuggets.
“It’s been good,” he said. “I had never been traded in-season. Last time it was in the offseason. So, you just got to figure stuff out quickly and get to know what your teammates like to do, their tendencies, and figure out what the coaches want on offense and defense. So it’s been a good transition, though.”