When the Nuggets convened in San Diego to open training camp last week, their leader, Nikola Jokic, wasn’t with them.
While Jokic awaited the birth of his daughter back in Denver, the rest of the team got together to lay the groundwork for what the Nuggets believe can be a championship season.
At that function, most of the team’s new or returning players said what brought them back to Denver. The underlying message: don’t take this season for granted.
Among those who spoke, according to 15-year NBA veteran Jeff Green, were Austin Rivers, Will Barton, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon. The latter two made huge commitments to Denver’s direction in the form of recent extensions.
“Being an elder statesman on this team, I think it comes with the territory of explaining your experience,” Green told The Post. “I’ve been through teams where we’ve won a lot, I’ve been through teams where we’ve lost. I’ve been in the middle. … 15 years is a long time.
“I just told them to appreciate the moment, don’t take it for granted, and don’t take this team for granted because we have a very good team, a team that could compete for a championship,” Green said. “(We) have to set all the egos and individual stuff aside, which, I know with this team, there’s really no egos.”
In perhaps a nod to where the Nuggets stand among the NBA’s elite, Green left the Brooklyn Nets, widely considered the title favorite, to be Jokic’s backup. From afar, Green said, he was impressed with how Jokic carried the Nuggets in the wake of Jamal Murray’s injury and wanted to see it first-hand.
“As a basketball player, you see that and you get intrigued by what itap like,” Green said. “When Denver called, given the opportunity, I jumped at it.”
Rivers, another free agent returnee, came back for different reasons. The impromptu marriage that began when the Nuggets signed Rivers to a 10-day last season yielded success for both sides.
“The overall message was you don’t take years like this for granted,” Rivers said. “I’ve been in the league for 10 years now, and this is one of the best teams I’ve ever played for, if not the best. You never know when you’ll have a shot.
“Everybody has windows to do something special, in terms of winning, collectively. I think thatap just the emphasis for this year,” Rivers added. “We got a really good team, and the league’s wide open. How much more better of a chance do you want than that?”
