Nuggets Training Camp 2017

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Training Camp Day 4

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Training Camp Day 3

BOULDER – Emmanuel Mudiay hears all the talk and simply shrugs it off – the good and the not as good. But this week, it has been nothing but good as the third-year point guard has started out of the gate quickly with stellar play in training camp.

“Emmanuel’s had a great camp so far,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Every facet of Emmanuel’s game right now looks improved. The bigger challenge is going to be, can we take – not just Emmanuel, but everybody – from a camp to a game situation on Saturday against a very talented (Golden State) team. But, his jump shot, his handle, his decision-making, his pace… you can tell he’s put a lot of work in this summer.”

That started with conditioning. Mudiay said he’s down to 199 pounds, which is roughly 12 pounds lighter from where he ended last season.

Getting there, “I did a lot of running,” Mudiay said. “Just staying on myself, trying to be as disciplined as I could. I tried to stay away from a lot of fried food. It was a lot of different stuff that went into it.

“It was good to do that. I just feel a lot faster, a lot lighter. Not so much stress on my body.”

Mudiay is in a competition with second-year player Jamal Murray and veteran Jameer Nelson for the starting point guard position. Nelson, however, has been injured and not able to practice. In the meantime, both Mudiay and Murray have played well this week, Malone said.

Malone has alternated the two with the starting unit: Murray worked with the starting five on Wednesday night in five-on-five scrimmaging. Mudiay worked with the first team on Thursday morning.

“For me, it’s exciting to see a healthy competition for that spot,” Malone said. “They are both working their butts off. It’s going to be a really tough decision, but the great thing is we’ve got a lot of depth and a lot of talent.”

Mudiay is thriving in the midst of it all.

“It’s definitely a competition, and it’s fun to get out there and try to compete,” Mudiay said. “I love to compete. It doesn’t matter what type of situation it is. It’s challenged me. It’s definitely bringing a good side out of me.”

Notes: After Thursday morning’s practice, Nuggets coach Michael Malone highlighted good training camp starts for forwards Trey Lyles and Torrey Craig. Lyles, Malone said, has vaulted himself into the battle for reserve power forward. Malone likes how well Lyles is able to work together with reserve center Mason Plumlee. On Craig, who is on a two-way contract with the Nuggets, Malone said, “Make no mistake, Torrey Craig is an NBA player.” … Point guard Jameer Nelson (toe) did not practice on Thursday and will not play in the Nuggets’ preseason opener at Golden State. “Unfortunate that he hurt his toe in the first practice, but we’re not going to rush him back for Golden State,” Malone said. … Thursday was Juancho Hernangomez’s 22nd birthday. He was serenaded with a Stevie Wonder rendition of “Happy Birthday” at the end of practice.

Christopher Dempsey: christopher.dempsey@altitude.tv and @chrisadempsey on Twitter.

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Emmanuel Mudiay on Fire at the Start of Nuggets Training Camp

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Training Camp Day 2

BOULDER – Darrell Arthur walked out of the practice court and bounced down the stairs, heading toward the team bus after the Nuggets’ Wednesday morning practice at the University of Colorado. His knees were wrapped in ice, but while that may have been an unsettling sight in the past, it’s simply a mark of maintenance now.

The veteran says his legs feel as good as they have in some time.

“My hamstring is feeling great, my knee is feeling great,” Arthur said.

And as he heads into his ninth season in the NBA, those are two huge sighs of relief. He played in only 41 games last season, mostly dealing with knee issues, but a trip to Germany to undergo platelet rich plasma therapy has done Arthur a world of good.

“I felt that it worked two days after getting my first injection,” Arthur said. “It was a five-day thing where it was one injection a day and some dry needles, and then recovery throughout the day. But after the second day of getting shots I could tell the difference in going down stairs and just walking around. It was a lot less pain. I have an arthritic knee, so I would be having pain every once in a while, but after I got that injection I didn’t have any discomfort at all. So, it was great. I will go back next summer, and probably go back every year that I’m playing just to stay on top of it.”

As a result, Arthur has been a full participant in full-contact practices at the start of training camp, something he was not able to do in last season’s camp. A comprehensive maintenance plan put together by the Nuggets training and strength staff limits Arthur’s activity on non-contact practices, but he still gets plenty of work in on the side.

“It’s just not as much pounding,” Arthur said. “It’s just being smarter this season.”

And that should allow him to put more of the solid play on the court that he displayed last season. He had the best overall shooting season of his career, making 44.2 percent from the field, a career-high 45.3 percent from the 3-point line, and a career-high 86.4 percent from the free throw line.

Recently, however, Arthur has been dealing with an unknown stomach issue that has prevented him from keeping food down in the mornings. He said he’s had the ailment since returning from Germany in July, and tests so far have come back negative. More tests are to come.

“I have no idea what is causing the stomach issues that he has,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “We’re hoping that the test results will find something where we can at least identify the problem, and then once we identify it, find a solution to it.”

Because, as both Malone and president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, emphasize, Arthur remains an integral part of the team.

“I thought he was fantastic last year, but unfortunately he wasn’t able to stay healthy enough to play more than 40, some odd games,” Connelly said. “In attempts to better his health he had some treatments done. It seemed to help him with his knee. He’s a huge voice in the locker room. D.A. is a huge part of what we do, both on the court and in the locker room, and is one of the more well-liked and respected guys in the room. … He’s a guy that we value for both his for his voice and his play.”

Notes: Point guard Jameer Nelson (toe) and forward Kenneth Faried (illness) did not participate in Wednesday morning’s practice.  … The Nuggets are expected to scrimmage in the night session of Wednesday’s two-a-day practices.

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Healthier Darrell Arthur Eager to Brush Aside Injuries, Focus in on Basketball

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Training Camp Day 1

BOULDER – The first day of Nuggets training camp on the campus of the University of Colorado doubled as the second day coach Michael Malone raved about the work his team did a few weeks prior in a voluntary minicamp in Atlanta.

About a dozen Nuggets spent the week of August 14 in the Peach State, working out at Millsap’s brand-spanking new gym. It was so new that Millsap had to scramble and get courts put in quickly before the practices started.

“It wasn’t even finished for the minicamp,” Millsap said, grinning. “We had to rush and get some courts in there. We were able to get it done, and we were able to have a good minicamp. But now it’s just all officially being done.”

Not that anyone noticed, or cared much if they did. They walked away impressed.

“He has a heckuva facility,” guard Jameer Nelson said. “We all appreciate his hospitality.”

But this was about the work. And that centered on laying a foundation to gain chemistry with Paul Millsap and his new teammates. The Nuggets ended last season a well-oiled machine on offense, one of the most potent in the NBA. And even though they are running the same system, a new year brings new faces. Millsap is new to the team. Jamal Murray could be new to the starting lineup. He worked with the first unit on Monday, and Malone said the five-on-five work in Atlanta has helped the second-year player hit the ground running in training camp.

“Watching that group today, when we started playing five-on-five full court, it was like they’d been together for a long time,” Malone said.

That’s good news for a Nuggets’ offense that, last season, ranked third in points per game (111.7), second in assists per game (25.3), second in rebounds per game (46.4), sixth in field goal percentage (46.9), seventh in 3-pointers made per game (10.6), and 11th in 3-point percentage (36.8).

Getting back to that level of execution and effectiveness takes time. Malone and the Nuggets coaching staff requested that players get together regularly throughout the summer. The Atlanta minicamp, one of most well-attended, was the springboard to training camp.

“That’s a situation where we can’t pay for guys to go,” Malone said. “We can’t house them, we can’t do anything. We had, I think, 11 or 12 guys show up to that. What was great was, I think the chemistry started there. Jamal having a chance to play with Paul Millsap. That continued. We had a full gym (in Denver) in all of September. So coming into camp we’ve had a lot of opportunities to work together and started building and creating.”

Nelson said had been through these kinds of camps before.

“I think it’s beneficial because it puts you in a different element,” Nelson said. “Helps you during the season, especially at the beginning of the season.”

“It’s very beneficial,” said Millsap after the Nuggets’ Monday morning practice. “To get chemistry you’ve got to have some time. You’ve got to spend time. We were able to get a jump on it in minicamp, spending a week together getting acclimated with each other. And we’re still learning. We’re still learning, we’re still figuring it out. It’s going to take a little time, but through that process we still want to get wins. And hopefully sooner than later we’ll be clicking on all cylinders.”

Neither Nelson nor Malone have any concerns about Millsap picking things up quickly.

“I think he will fall right in with everything that we are trying to accomplish,” Nelson said. “He’s a perfect fit. He’s one of those guys that I think can adapt to any system. The defense is easy for him because it’s pretty much the same. But offensively he’s so skilled and such a high IQ player, that if he hasn’t figured it out yet, the way we play, he’ll figure it out quickly.”

Said Malone: “What’s great about having guys like Paul Millsap, who is the new guy, is he is such a high IQ player, and he played the same style a few years ago in Atlanta. …So I don’t think it’s going to take a while for them to get that chemistry and that rhythm on the floor.”

Christopher Dempsey: christopher.dempsey@altitude.tv or @chrisadempsey on Twitter.

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How a Week in Atlanta Could Speed Up the Nuggets' Quest for Offensive Chemistry

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