National Basketball Association

Denver Nuggets: 5 Takeaways from an Exhilarating Media Day

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:37 p.m. ET

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Mar 8, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of the Nuggets logo on the floor prior to the game between the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets held their media day on Monday, September 26, and it did not disappoint. With many parts to the day, we will take a look at the five biggest takeaways.

The Denver Nuggets held their media day yesterday, and they released and shared exciting news.

President and Governor Josh Kroenke, General Manager Tim Connelly, and Head Coach Michael Malone allowed fans an inside look at what they thought about several topics ranging from the starting lineup to the state-of-the-art facilities.

The media day unleashed several new topics of discussion for the upcoming training camp, and it added some new fuel to many topics. They also took some exciting pictures with the rookies at the same time. This day brought fans to the edge of their seat and ready for the season.

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Therefore, while we are on the cusp of starting training camp, we will take a quick look at what the Denver Nuggets media day taught us and what we can learn from it.

Feb 14, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Dikembe Mutombo during the NBA Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Aging Wonder

The Nuggets released an official statement concerning the intent to retire Dikembe Mutombo’s #55 jersey.

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This is an exciting moment, and Mutombo will become just he fifth Nuggets to have his jersey retired. Beck, English, Thompson, and Moe- these are the others jerseys that Mutombo’s will accompany in the Pepsi Center rafters.

Mutombo played his first five season with the Denver Nuggets and never averaged less than 3.0 blocks per game. In his last season with the organization, Mutombo averaged 4.5 blocks per game and was a force all around the paint.

This will be an exciting festivity for the Nuggets fans, and better yet, the Nuggets will be wearing their traditional rainbow skyline jerseys on that day.

This ceremony at halftime along with the throwback jerseys should bring a spark to Denver basketball to start this season.

Jan 16, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) and forward Kenneth Faried (35) battle Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) for a loose ball during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Who Will Start?

A BSN Denver reporter, Harrison Wind, tweeted this about the starting lineup:

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This is surprising saying that Kenneth Faried has been the trusted starting power forward for years. It does make sense that Malone may experiment with starting lineups involving Nurkic-Jokic or Arthur-Jokic.

The hustle that Faried could bring off of the bench could be contagious and the defensive ability that Arthur brings to the starting unit could also be crucial.

The offense is sure to run much more through Nikola Jokic in this upcoming season, and with that said, Arthur could be the best choice since he would add better court spacing. In the end, it will be up to Malone, and Denver will run whatever lineup that he feels best with.

The real questions are not who starting the game, but who will Malone trust in the last five minutes of the game.

Malone is in for another great season as the Denver Head Coach, and we will approve of whatever lineup this mastermind puts together.

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Denver Nuggets heads coach Michael Malone represents his team during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

A D-League Affiliate?

We will be going back to our man Harrison Wind at BSN for a tweet on what the President Kroenke said about a D-League affiliate:

This could be a huge step in the right direction for the Denver Nuggets, who are one of the few teams without a D-League affiliate. This D-League team could help players such as Juancho Hernangomez and Malik Beasley get quality in-game experience.

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The benefits are great, and the consequences are few. Josh Kroenke would make a great more for the future of the Denver Nuggets if he was able to add a D-League affiliate.

Mar 28, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Devin Harris (34) defends against Denver Nuggets guard Jameer Nelson (1) in the second quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Mavericks defeated the Nuggets 97-88. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

A Potential Conflict

Apparently, Jameer Nelson is not a big fan of being put in a mentor role.

But, does he have a point in hogging minutes over rookie Jamal Murray and seeing himself as more of a impact player than a mentor? Yes, he does.

But, if it comes down to it, will he make an issue out of this situation if Murray surpasses him in minutes? The thought of this could pull out trade discussion surrounding a potential package with Jameer Nelson and Kenneth Faried.

It is an interesting concept, and it will be something for Nuggets fans to keep on eye on throughout the season.

Apr 8, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Andre Miller (24) guards Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) in the fourth quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Spurs 102-98. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Can Mudiay Become the Leader?

During the media day for the Nuggets, Aniello Piro and Mile High Sports caught up with Emmaneul Mudiay and were able to pull some great quotes from him. The whole article that they did can be seen here. 

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Piro quoted Mudiay as he said,”‘ I worked on everything really,’ Mudiay said during media day on Monday. ‘I’m trying to become more efficient.'”

Pirlo continued to quote Mudiay as he stated this: “That’s one thing I’m really going to have to do this year is being more vocal,” Mudiay said. “Being more of a leader. You know, challenging guys, challenging myself; that’s one thing I’m going to have to really do this year to get to the next level.”

As it stands, Emmanuel Mudiay lead the team in turnovers and had, by many cases, a horrible rookie season. But, his post All-star campaign, was incredible.

Emmanuel Mudiay must step up and continue to excel just as he did in the latter half of his rookie campaign.

The Denver Nuggets are in for an exciting season, and with the great quotes and excitement from the players, it seems Nuggets fans can finally prepare for the season to start.

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