Julius Hodge is not ready to count himself out of the Nuggets’ summer league team yet.
The second-year guard, who would be the only member of last year’s roster to play in Las Vegas starting this week, is recovering from being shot four times in the leg and ankle in April.
While not ready to rate his health at 100 percent, Hodge said Sunday his jump shot has improved and he has added 10 pounds of muscle to what was listed last year as a 6-foot-7, 210-pound frame.
“I’m feeling all right, could be a little bit better. But I’m here to give it a shot. I’m happy to be back,” he said.
He only lifted weights during the Nuggets’ early practice Sunday and said he would know more about what he can do in Nevada once doctors examine him today. Coach George Karl praised how Hodge’s body looks but reserved judgment on his game, which has been limited to two-on-two and three-on- three work.
“We watched him play last week,” Karl said. “Basically, we felt he was rusty. We’re probably not going to clear him to go on the court until we see him again, see him in a practice or two and how it affects him the next day.”
Also on the Pepsi Center’s practice court Sunday were Casey Jacobsen and Josh Davis, a pair of NBA veterans with a better chance of making a run at a Nuggets roster spot than most there.
Karl said of Jacobsen, a former first-round pick with Phoenix: “Of all the opportunities, I would think his window is as open as any, because if he played a good summer league, we’d probably then reach out to him to come back to training camp. We’ve been looking for a shooter, and he’s had years where he’s shot 35, 40 percent from (3-point range). And he’s a competitive kid that does other things, too.”
Jacobsen said he takes this chance seriously, adding: “I know the Nuggets do have a need for shooters. That is the strongest part of my game.”
Davis, a forward who starred at Wyoming, is commuting to his temporary gig from his home in Golden. His wife is from Arvada.
Asked of his goal, Davis replied: “Make a team. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. Make a team. Doesn’t matter where. Anywhere.”
Footnotes
Former Air Force guard Antoine Hood, on not getting drafted: “In this world, it’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.” … Forward Ricky Sanchez received 20 stitches above his left eye after a head-on-head collision and may not practice before the team leaves for Las Vegas. The Nuggets no longer list Sanchez’s fellow 2005 Denver draft pick, Axel Hervelle, on their summer league roster. Hervelle has a broken jaw. … The Nuggets listed 20 players for their two days of pre-summer league practice, but will likely take only 12 to Las Vegas this week.
