Mike Miller was one of the heartbeats of the Nuggets team.
Every morning on the bus to shootaround, he’d greet everyone. During adverse times in games he’d keep the mood as upbeat as possible. If a player had a rough game, Miller would be a sounding board to bounce frustrations off of.
He didn’t spend a ton of time on the court, but in many respects Miller’s role was as important as any 20-point scorer.
Returning to the Nuggets for a second-straight season, Miller was part coach, part player. He seemingly was smiling all the time, and was instrumental in starting the 3-on-3 games a couple hours prior to regular season contests for players that weren’t expecting to see much, if any, time that night.
Those 3-on-3 games were a big part of what kept point guard Emmanuel Mudiay in shape and sharp, so that when he was called upon to return to playing significant minutes, he could hit the court running.
Miller played in 20 games in his 17th year in the NBA. He flashed his trademark 3-point shot in knocking down 2-of-3 from the arc against Dallas in the next-to-last game of the season, and nailing both of his attempts from downtown in the Nuggets’ win over Golden State on Feb. 13. When Nuggets coach Michael Malone needed veteran savvy and shooting -- and good decision-making on inbounds passes -- he turned to Miller.