They were the first draft picks used by co-general managers Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace since they took over the front office in 2025. But the duo was equally focused on asset accumulation during the two-day draft. The Nuggets were originally slated to pick 26th in Tuesday’s first round, but they traded that pick to San Antonio in exchange for No. 35 and two future second-round picks. The Spurs drafted Brazile on Denver’s behalf.

“We got two extra seconds that we feel good about,” Tenzer said. “You can look at other deals around the league and see what two seconds get you at the trade deadline and things like that. It’s tough to not have as many things as maybe other teams, but throughout the years, we’ve given assets for other options at the time. So this is what it is, and we’re comfortable with where we’re at.”

Wallace said that Denver also looked into trading up in the first round for a point guard, but no worthwhile deals materialized. The first pick traded on draft night was No. 16, which the Thunder acquired from one spot lower.

“It was a heavy point guard draft,” Wallace said. “I think everybody in this room would agree that there were a lot of guys we liked (in the first round). But they just didn’t fall to our area. We tried to make some moves to get up. It just didn’t work. We’re not the only team that wants elite point guards.”

Part of the reason the Nuggets ultimately traded down, multiple team sources told The Denver Post, was because they felt like there was a substantial talent drop-off around No. 20.

Brazile, 23, averaged 13 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season. The 6-foot-9 power forward played his last four years of college ball for the Razorbacks and his last two under coach John Calipari, who’s known for developing his players into NBA-ready prospects. An explosive above-the-rim athlete whose feel for the game is his most scrutinized attribute, Brazile was ranked 41st on ESPN’s draft board and 46th on The Athletic’s. He grew up in Springfield, Missouri.

Hopkins was ranked 46th by ESPN and 73rd by The Athletic. He’s four days older than Nuggets wing Peyton Watson, who was drafted in 2022, and 18 months younger than Zeke Nnaji, who was drafted in 2020 and is Denver’s third-longest tenured player. The 6-foot-6 big-bodied wing started his college career at Calipari’s Kentucky, transferred to Providence for three years, then finished under Rick Pitino at St. John’s.

Hopkins tore his left ACL in January 2024. When he returned the next season, he played only three games then suffered a season-ending bone bruise in the same knee.

The Chicago area native averaged 13.6 points and 6.2 boards last season at St. John’s while shooting 36.3% from outside the arc.

Over the last decade, the ceiling for players selected 26th has been “solid bench contributor on an NBA Finals team after multiple years of pro development.” Landry Shamet (2018) is lighting it up from 3-point range for the Knicks right now. Payton Pritchard (2020) won Sixth Man of the Year last season in Boston. Ben Sheppard (2023) gave the Pacers 13.6 minutes per game against Oklahoma City in the Finals last year.

The last time the Nuggets drafted 26th was in 2021, when they were a contender on the rise. They took Bones Hyland with that pick, then they ended up dumping him at the trade deadline two seasons later en route to winning the championship without him.

They’re set to pick 26th again on June 23 (6 p.m. MT, ESPN), this time as a contender seemingly in decline. Lead executives Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer will be dealing with far more pressing dilemmas on draft night and in the days that follow, but they’re also tasked with using the low-value pick to locate someone who can help Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets win immediately. Roster needs are aplenty after a first-round playoff debacle in April. Which need will Denver try to address in the draft? Here are 12 names to watch at No. 26.

Note: Denver also possesses a second-round pick at No. 49 overall, but this list is solely focused on the team’s first-round candidates.

Ebuka Okorie — 6-foot-1 | Stanford | G

The Nuggets have made it abundantly clear that they want to improve their ball-handling depth. One of their most convenient avenues for accomplishing that is the draft. A one-and-done at Stanford, Okorie ranked sixth in the country with 23.2 points per game. He’s an explosive scorer whose first instinct is to get downhill into the paint, which might be appealing enough for Denver to overlook the lack of positional size. has mocked him for joining Spencer Jones in the Palo Alto-to-Colorado pipeline.

Dailyn Swain — 6-7 | Texas | F

Swain to Denver at No. 26. After a three-year college career at Xavier and Texas, he’s considered one of the best slashing wings in this class. He could make a serviceable replacement for Peyton Watson if the Nuggets lose the former 30th pick in restricted free agency. Then again, if they retain Watson, it’s also generally agreed in the NBA that you can never have too many athletic two-way wings.

Bennett Stirtz — 6-4 | Iowa | G

From Division II Northwest Missouri State to a D-I NCAA Tournament appearance at Drake to an Elite Eight run with the Hawkeyes, Stirtz developed into one of the best pick-and-roll operators in the college game. He might be just out of the Nuggets’ reach after his 15 minutes of fame in March, but his experience in a methodical system would fit one of their defining organizational philosophies of the Jokic era — that when it matters most, halfcourt precision outweighs reliance on transition offense. Early on in the pre-draft process, Stirtz was a popular match for Denver in mocks.

Joshua Jefferson — 6-8 | Iowa State | F

Draft experts consider Jefferson one of the best passers at his position in the 2026 class. He was a consensus Second Team All-American last season, but his four-year college career ended with an ankle injury during the first round of the NCAA Tournament. .

Christian Anderson — 6-1 | Texas Tech | G

Like Okorie, Anderson is undersized, which could dissuade a team that sorely needs to bulk up its perimeter defense. But the Atlanta product was a versatile combo guard in college who could play on or off the ball, facilitating out of pick-and-rolls, spotting up or creating his own shot against 1-on-1 defense. He knocked down 41.5% of his 3s last season on eight attempts per game. That’s high efficiency on high volume, but at a cost: He isn’t as effective at attacking downhill as other guards who could end up in the same range. Rim pressure felt like another glaring absence from Denver’s roster in the playoffs. Nonetheless, .

Morez Johnson Jr. — 6-9 | Michigan | F

, but he seems to be garnering increasing attention lately as a fringe lottery pick. DaRon Holmes II and Zeke Nnaji got limited playing time in 2025-26, so if Denver wants a fresh start in the “switchable power forwards” department, someone like Johnson could make sense. The Nuggets will have to account for Aaron Gordon’s injuries as part of their reality going forward if the veteran starter is sticking around. Younger hamstrings might not hurt.

Isaiah Evans — 6-6 | Duke | G

Evans still needs to fill out his frame a bit, but he was a dynamic movement shooter and spacer at Duke with enough positional size to inspire confidence in his defensive potential at the next level. He played alongside Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer the last two years. There’s not as much evidence yet of Evans’ capability as a creator, however.

Cameron Carr — 6-5 | Baylor | G

Another athletic wing who should be able to score efficiently off action, but again, the question is whether he can create a shot off the dribble enough to satisfy Denver’s ball-handling needs. After transferring from Tennessee, Carr finished his college career at Baylor with a breakout third year, averaging 18.9 points on 49.4% shooting from the field and 37.4% from 3-point range.

Zuby Ejiofor — 6-9 | St. John’s | F/C

The Big East Player of the Year has been projected as more of an early second-round talent, but he’s a well-rounded defender whose instinct on offense is to power into the restricted area. That checks two boxes for Denver. Ejiofor’s positional fit is a little awkward. Do the Nuggets want to draft yet another small-ball center option when Holmes and Nnaji haven’t panned out as steady backups? — and the 22-year-old isn’t much of a shooter. He’ll probably need to develop a more consistent jumper eventually if he wants to be a viable four in the modern NBA.

Meleek Thomas — 6-3 | Arkansas | G

Thomas is a one-and-done prospect who shot 41.6% from deep for John Calipari’s Razorbacks. He’s got serious microwave scorer potential as a creator off the bench, but he could come into the league with erratic tendencies at only 19 years old. Widely projected to go near the end of the first round.

Karim Lopez — 6-8 | New Zealand Breakers | F

Another ball-handling wing with a drive-first mentality. His mock draft range has been all over the place, from the lottery to Denver’s territory. This is a weaker year for international prospects compared to the last few. Lopez is one of the top overseas players in the class.

Tarris Reed Jr. — 6-10 | UConn | C

If the Nuggets want to go young at backup center and try to solidify a long-term reserve behind Jokic, Reed seems more realistic as a mid-20s option than Michigan big man Aday Mara, whose stock has risen after the Wolverines’ run to the NCAA championship.

Winner: France

The Year of Wembanyama is a tough act to follow. That idea was looming over this entire draft cycle and its collection of prospects. France’s encore: both of the top two picks, three of the top six and four of the top 25. Now that John Calipari is changing schools after one last crop of Kentucky lottery picks, Big Blue Nation might be passing the torch overseas. The Paris Olympics can’t get here fast enough.

Loser: Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are stuck in a cycle of mild disappointment with the lottery result followed by tempered optimism with the pick. No doubt Ron Holland is talented. But there’s just no way around it: He’s another non-shooter. With G League Ignite last year, he was 24% from 3-point range. In the last three years, the Pistons have selected four lottery picks who shot a combined 32.5% from three in their respective pre-draft seasons. Spacing the floor doesn’t seem to be a priority.

Winners: Timberwolves and Spurs

In a draft class that was understood to be lacking in star power, a 2024 Western Conference finalist who needed offense somehow emerged from the first round with two of the most talented ball-in-hand scorers on the board. Props to Minnesota GM Tim Connelly for the aggression. Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. are both conceivable rotation pieces. On the other side of Minnesota’s trade-up for the No. 8 pick, the vision makes sense for San Antonio. UConn’s Stephon Castle was already exciting at No. 4, so the Spurs sacrificed their second lottery pick and got back a 2030 first-round pick swap (the year after Anthony Edwards is a free agent) and 2031 unprotected first — a gamble on the eventual demise of a small-market team. On top of that, the trade makes sense short-term. It’s worth being patient with Wembanyama for one more season and entering the lottery sweepstakes with a loaded 2025 draft class on deck.

Loser: Two-big lineups

Elsewhere in the West, the Trail Blazers were fortunate enough to have UConn center Donovan Clingan fall into their laps at No. 7 after weeks of top-five buzz. It was a good pick but set up a clunky situation with Clingan and Deandre Ayton now on the roster. Two picks later, the Grizzlies bit on Zach Edey in a potentially over-zealous move that implies a starting lineup featuring Purdue’s old-school big next to Jaren Jackson Jr. If everyone’s suddenly trying to emulate what Connelly built in Minnesota, these don’t feel like they’re going to be the most successful examples.

Winner: Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat

Calvin Booth’s self-assurance as a draft scout might be his defining characteristic, for better or worse. It led him to trade up six spots this year. The Nuggets are burning through future draft assets, but DaRon Holmes II is a picture-perfect fit for their frontcourt needs if his athleticism and versatility can translate. Alongside Holmes in the post-lottery steal category of big men is Kel’el Ware, a floor-spacing 7-footer who went 15th to Miami.

Loser: Milwaukee Bucks

The most baffling pick in the entire draft: AJ Johnson at No. 23. Never mind that Milwaukee probably could’ve traded down to the second round for Johnson, based on where most draft boards had the NBL prospect. More alarming is the question of how a 2.9 point-per-game 19-year-old fits within the Bucks’ win-now timeline. Giannis ain’t getting any younger.

Winner: Dalton Knecht

Even after his unexpected slide? You bet. Knecht was a consensus lottery projection who fell to the Lakers at No. 17. It’s a perfect outcome for the Denver-area prospect. Instead of disappearing for a few years in Charlotte or Portland, he gets to learn from LeBron James on a team that’s trying to convince itself it’s a contender. He’s easy to see as a plug-and-play selection for a roster that has struggled with depth. And he’ll get half as much attention (that’s generous) as the Lakers’ 55th overall pick, at least until the season starts, and then he’ll have just as many eyeballs on him. Come for Bronny James, stay for that other draft pick who’s making an impact.

Loser: Oklahoma City Thunder

OK, the Thunder had an admirable draft, particularly the Nikola Topic pick. But they’ll always be losers for neglecting Auburn’s Jaylin Williams in the second round and failing to form the most indistinguishable Big Three in NBA history. (What would the third nickname have been, with J-Dub and J-Will taken?) Instead, the Nuggets snagged Williams on an Exhibit 10 contract after the draft ended, a source told The Denver Post.

Winner: Utah Jazz

Colorado’s Cody Williams at 10? Positional size and upside on the wing. USC’s Isaiah Collier at 29? A former No. 1 recruit in his class, ready to develop into a backcourt weapon. Duke’s Kyle Filipowski at 32? A center who can dribble, pass and shoot is rare enough in the first round. Utah might’ve had the best draft in the league.

The Broncos’ ideal bridge quarterback has surfaced from his “Space Oddity,” otherwise known as retirement. Wouldn’t it be something if Denver attempted to lure Tom Brady back this season?

The idea is preposterous. Or is it? Why would Brady, who turns 47 on Aug. 3, want to return to the NFL? For the same reason rock stars date supermodels – because he can.

Appearing on Shadow Lion’s DeepCut Podcast, Brady was asked if he would answer the phone if a team called this upcoming season. A simple no would have sufficed. Instead, he appeared to send a message to the league.

“I am not opposed to it. I don’t know if they’d let me if I become an owner of an NFL team,” said Brady, who has been attempting to purchase a stake in the Raiders for months. “I don’t know. I am always going to be in good shape. I am always going to be able to throw the ball. To come in for a little bit, like MJ (Michael Jordan) coming back, um, I don’t know if they’d let me but I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan admitted in February that he was serious about offering Brady a one-year deal to start the 2023 season when Brock Purdy’s elbow injury created uncertainty. Is it crazy to think a team won’t text Brady this summer or fall? Joe Flacco, nowhere near the player or health maven Brady is, had not started since 2017 and led the Browns to the playoffs last season.

Why would the Broncos even be in the mix? Coach Sean Payton. It wouldn’t be the first time these two have been connected. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was suspended part of last season, fined $1.5 million and the team docked a 2023 first-round pick and a third-round selection in 2024 for illegally tampering with Brady and Payton as he tried to bring them to Miami.

Wouldn’t it be funny if Payton reached out to Brady, who would have Jarrett Stidham as his backup? Just like old times. DraftKings created odds, favoring Brady staying in the Fox Broadcast booth. If he does return, the Patriots are +250, followed by the Raiders and the field at +400 and the 49ers at +800. If Brady returns, it makes sense that it would be for a contender.

But there is hope for Denver. Didn’t Jordan also play for the Washington Wizards?

Avs coach Jared Bednar refreshingly eschewed diplomacy. Asked if Saturday’s game vs. Winnipeg was akin to the postseason, he said, “It really is. At the end of the day you gotta win if you want home ice.” …

Tiger Woods made history at The Masters on Friday, making a tournament record 24 consecutive cuts. I am not even sure I could make 24 straight cuts at Sports Clips. …

The 76ers unveiled a statue of Allen Iverson. Long overdue. The problem? It����ap closer to the size of an action figure than Iverson. …

Disgraced translator Ippei Mizuhura surrendered to authorities on Friday. The federal investigation declared Shohei Ohtani as the victim of fraud in excess of $16 million. The inspection of 2,700 text messages between the pair over nearly seven years revealed no discussion of gambling, helping clear Ohtani. The documents provided show Mizuhura’s betrayal, deep gambling addiction and why Ohtani should fire everyone associated with his agency immediately.  …

The college coaching carousel has finally settled with John Calipari going to Arkansas and Mark Pope taking over Kentucky. I was a little surprised more Power 5 schools didn’t try to lure away CSU’s Niko Medved. My guess is he could have landed the Oklahoma State job if he wanted, but it speaks to his comfort and loyalty to the Rams.

Mail Time

For the Nuggets, it is clear they have no legit backup to give Nikola (Jokic) a breather. The majority of folks mention Bruce (Brown when talking about bench concerns). However, I think we miss Uncle Jeff (Green) as much if not more.

Tim Schimberg

Tim raises an interesting question. I do have trepidation about Denver’s bench even as playing time shrinks in the postseason. Green averaged 17 minutes and 4 points per game over the 20-game championship run. He was a calming force. My belief is Aaron Gordon will play the five more in the postseason and Peyton Watson will shine in his limited role, making up for his lack of offense with blocks and altered shots.

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

The NBA Draft deadline has passed, the transfer portal is emptying, and we have a strong sense for the teams to beat in 2022-23.

For some schools, the outlook has changed little from early April.

For others, the clouds either have brightened immeasurable (Gonzaga and Kansas) or darkened considerably (Arizona and Michigan).

The following rankings have been updated from the originals, .

1. North Carolina (previous: 1): The national runners-up secured this spot when star guard Caleb Love and forward Armando Bacot opted to return, leaving the Tar Heels with only one significant departure: forward Brady Manek. Plus, we have a soft spot for any team with guys named Leaky and Puff.

2. Gonzaga (8): The most significant change to our top 10 comes as a result of big man Drew Timme and wing Julian Strawther returning. (We figured the Zags might get one back, but not both.) Mark Few has enough options to replace point guard Andrew Nembhard that the position isn’t a major concern, yet.

3. Houston (4): The Cougars lost four double-digit scorers but return three double-digit scorers. How is that possible? The Elite Eight lineup was without two of its best players, guards Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark, who were injured early in the season. They’re back, along with point guard Jamal Shead.

4. Duke (5): The best way to replace a slew of first-round draft picks is with a returning point guard (Jeremy Roach) and a slew of future first-round picks. The top-ranked recruiting class in the country features four players with five-star ratings. And for readers who were cryogenically frozen until recently: Duke has a new coach (Jon Scheyer).

5. Kentucky (2): With Wooden Award-winning big man Oscar Tshiebwe eschewing the NBA and two five-star recruits joining the roster, the Wildcats have enough talent to produce a deep run in the NCAAs … as long as John Calipari doesn’t coach against Shaheen Holloway in the early rounds.

6. Arkansas (7): A sensational recruiting class — it includes the nation’s No. 1 guard, Nick Smith — and excellent use of the transfer portal should fuel another impressive season for the Hogs under fourth-year coach Eric Musselman, who owns back-to-back trips to the Elite Eight.

7. Kansas (13): The defending champions were hit hard by departures, but their outlook improved with the return of forward Jalen Wilson and the addition of former Texas Tech guard Kevin McCullar, who reportedly picked KU over Gonzaga during his time in the portal.

8. Creighton (12): The Bluejays were a year ahead of schedule last season with 23 wins and a senior-light roster. Their spot in our top 10 was solidified when the trio of Ryan Kalkbrenner, Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma (35 points per game, combined) opted to return.

9. UCLA (6): Although it could have been worse, the attrition in Westwood was nonetheless substantial with Johnny Juzang and Jules Bernard staying in the draft. The degree to which UCLA mitigates the damage depends largely on freshman guard Amari Bailey and rookie big man Adem Bona.

10. Baylor (14): Veterans Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer will team with top-10 recruit Keyonte George to form one of the best perimeter units in the country. And since March is all about the perimeter, count the Bears as a threat to return to the Final Four.

11. Tennessee (18): The Vols lost point guard Kennedy Chandler to the NBA, as expected, but were an offseason winner (relative to other teams in our rankings) with the returns of their No. 2 and 3 scorers, guards Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan Jameson.

12. Texas (21): We suspected the Longhorns would bring back top scorers Timmy Allen and Marcus Carr. But the offseason value-add came in the form of point guard Tyrese Hunter, a transfer from Iowa State who was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year last season.

13. Michigan (3): Few teams can match Michigan’s level of attrition and no team dropped so far in our rankings. The Wolverines will have a new supporting cast around star big man Hunter Dickinson.

14. Oregon (17): The Ducks jumped a few spots thanks to the return of point guard Will Richardson and a group of newcomers that includes both premium recruits and impact transfers (for example: guard Jermaine Couisnard, who led South Carolina in scoring). Look for Oregon to return to the NCAAs after an unexpected absence.

15. Alabama (10): Basketball recruiting is beginning to mirror football recruiting in Tuscaloosa, with two five-star prospects joining coach Nate Oats’ program. But the shape of the regular season will depend on the speed of guard Jahvon Quinerly’s ACL recovery.

16. TCU (not ranked): The team that pushed Arizona to the brink in the second round of the NCAAs has far more returning production than Arizona.

17. USC (not ranked): We were skeptical of USC’s prospects until the final days before the NBA stay-or-go deadline, when two starters, guard Boogie Ellis and wing Drew Peterson, decided to stay. Count the Trojans as a legitimate contender in the Pac-12.

18. Villanova (9): Not much has changed for the Wildcats since our early-April rankings except, well, everything. Year One of the post-Jay Wright era could be bumpy.

19. Indiana (not ranked): Once big man Trayce Jackson-Davis announced his return (in mid-May), the Hoosiers became a lock for top-25 inclusion. And they just might be the best team in a potentially deflated Big Ten.

20. Arizona (11): The departures of star wing Bennedict Mathurin and dominant center Christian Koloko staggered the roster; the gut punch came just prior to the deadline when do-everything wing Dalen Terry stayed in the draft. We suspect Tommy Lloyd isn’t finished his spring restocking process.

21. Auburn (not ranked): The Hotline underestimated the Tigers last season and won’t make the same mistake in 2022-23 even with the departures of stellar big men Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.

22. Saint Louis (not ranked): We like the Billikens to win the Atlantic 10 with all their returning veterans from a 23-win season. But the conference is wide open with Davidson, Dayton and St. Bonaventure all carrying top-25 potential.

23. San Diego State (23): The Aztecs’ presence in our rankings was secured when senior guard Matt Bradley (17 ppg) announced his return. Meet the best team in the Mountain West (unless it����ap Wyoming, or Boise State, or Colorado State).

24. Virginia (25): The Cavaliers haven’t missed the NCAAs in back-to-back seasons since the early years of Tony Bennett����ap tenure. His best recruiting class, which includes three four-star prospects, will power the recovery.

25. Connecticut (not ranked): Danny Hurley has a cornerstone piece in forward Adama Sanogo and a slew of impact transfers to create a high ceiling for the Huskies.

Also considered: Boise State, Colorado State, Davidson, Dayton, Illinois, Iowa, Memphis, Miami, Michigan State, New Mexico State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Providence, Purdue, Saint Mary’s, Seton Hall, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Wake Forest, Wyoming, Xavier

Support the Hotline: Receive three months of unlimited access for just 99 cents. Yep, that����ap 99 cents for 90 days, with the option to cancel anytime. , and thanks for your support.

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The Nuggets star had just poured every ounce of energy he had into a season-saving 50-point performance against Utah, then tore open a 400-year-old wound by answering questions about Black lives lost.

When Murray got back to the victorious locker room, one that had picked itself up after a 3-1 deficit to force Tuesday’s win-or-go-home Game 7, he had a text message waiting for him. It was a screenshot of himself, crouched, processing everything he’d just authored.

“I sent him the picture, and just ‘Wow, can’t tell you how proud I am of you,’” Kentucky coach John Calipari told The Denver Post on Monday.

Murray, who played for Calipari during his lone college season in 2015-16, hit him right back.

“I imagine why he did what he did was trying to get his mind together,” Calipari said. “Like, what has just happened? Let me tell you. When they gave him a max contract (last summer), he calls me and said, ‘I got a max deal. Can you believe it?’ I go, ‘Yeah, I can believe it. You should’ve gotten a max deal.’ So, he’s one of those kinds. They’re young men, they’re trying to figure out, ‘Who the hell am I?’”

Calipari watched in astonishment as his former guard launched his “blue arrows” from well beyond the 3-point line Sunday, sinking nine. Murray has shattered Denver’s previous record of 19 3-pointers in a playoff series, connecting on 31 through six games. His 204 points in this series? Also a franchise record.

If he wasn’t aware of it while his mind dashed between the emotions of the Game 6 win, to talking about the violent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, you can bet he’s aware of the record now.

“I’m just proud,” Calipari said, stealing the same adjective Nuggets coach Michael Malone used in the aftermath. “It����ap funny, he knows what I do. He had 92 (points) in two games, so I said, ‘Damn, you had 82 in two games.’ And he’ll hit me right back and say ‘Coach, I had 92.’”

Calipari knows the 23-year-old from Kitchener, Ontario, is wired differently than most. He credits Murray’s parents, Roger and Sylvia, for not coddling their son. As Calipari recalled, Murray didn’t have amenities like a phone, TV or the internet as a kid.

“That����ap not how he grew up,” he said. “Jamal had to prove himself everywhere he’s been, which means you better be tough. … His mental toughness is coming from like, ‘Respect what I am, who I am, how I am.’”

And yet even Calipari saw something in the visceral emotion Murray displayed in his postgame interview, where he revealed what and who he was playing for. First, Calipari said it was apparent to him how much the “racial strife” had affected Murray, and secondly, he thought the NBA’s “bubble” experiment was getting to him.

Obviously not enough to impede his historic run of play, but enough to burst open a seam welling inside.

“I got emotional watching him get emotional,” Calipari said.

It����ap here that Calipari thinks back to the ear-to-ear smile Murray had on a daily basis while at Kentucky and reflects on how much he misses coaching him.

“If I walked in and I was thinking about something or whatever, he’d say, ‘Coach!’ and I’d look at him, and he’d point to his smile,” Calipari recalled. “In other words smile. We’re having fun here.”

But hidden behind that smile was a dogged stubbornness in Murray’s game that Calipari remembers well. Calipari recalled a practice where Murray let loose a fading, falling left-handed hook shot that banked hard off the glass and missed.

“I’m like, ‘You’re kidding me, right?’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘You can’t take a shot like that.’” Calipari said, his voice getting animated. “He’s like, ‘That����ap a good shot. I can make that shot.’”

Same thing when Murray entered the NBA. Though Calipari knew he was an elite prospect who had averaged 20 points per game as a freshman and showed a penchant for playmaking and crashing the glass, he still had concerns about his 3-point shooting. Calipari worried about his low release point, that Murray couldn’t let his arrows fly.

“I thought, ‘He’s going to struggle to get that off,’” he said. “No, that was wrong … Oh, he gets them off now. But he’s (shooting) left and right and hooks and runners and bank shots and bang a three and not be afraid. It����ap not that you’ll shoot them. You can’t be afraid to miss them. That����ap why they go.”

Murray is shooting 57% from 3-point range in the postseason, the basket seemingly as big as the Magic Kingdom itself. It was the ruthless efficiency – Murray was 17-for-24 with 50 points in Game 6 – that had Calipari telling one of his elite prospects Monday the difference between Murray at Kentucky and the refined NBA star he’s becoming.

“How good can he be?” Calipari said. “We don’t know yet, because what he’s done is he’s beginning to master his craft. … There’s not one shot that he shoots that he thinks is a bad shot. If he gets it off, it was a good shot. That����ap what Jamal is.”

Murray’s legendary performance has placed him alongside names like Jordan, Iverson and West in terms of postseason play. His ridiculous run of scoring will be forever etched in Nuggets lore regardless of what happens Tuesday night. But what����ap scary, and why Calipari considers the Nuggets so lucky, is Murray will be responsible for wherever his career goes from here. Future All-Star? All-NBA player?

By now, it’s hard to bet against the 23-year-old who, through his words and play, has risen above the heartache of the past week.

“He’s very confident in who he is and what he is,” Calipari said. “You’re not taking his confidence away. Here’s what I say: When you build that, and you have to fight for it, and you work for that, no one takes it away except yourself. You can take it away from you, but no one else can. And in his mind, he’s like, ‘You’re not taking this away.’ Someone says you can’t do this, or this or that, he laughs. ‘You’re out of your mind.’ That����ap what he’d say.”

The 60-year-old Calipari and the school previously announced an agreement to a long-term deal in April. The 11th-year coach will earn $8 million each of the next two seasons before his salary increases to $8.5 million annually in 2021 and $9 million annually in 2025. Beginning with the 2024-25 season, Calipari has the option to step down and into the university position that will pay $950,000 annually.

The Hall of Fame coach is 305-71 at Kentucky and won the 2012 NCAA championship among four Final Four appearances. Calipari thanked AD Mitch Barnhart and others in a release on Thursday and added, “There is no other place I want to be.”

Murray’s 16. He turns up at the Saint James tourney in Washington, D.C. with a broken finger. En route to the first game, Murray somehow manages to get that same broken finger slammed into a car door.

“He refused to not play,” says Blunt, who coached the Nuggets’ backcourt star in his high school salad days at Orangeville (Ontario) Prep. “Refused. It would’ve taken an act of God and then Congress to prevent him from playing.”

Murray’s 16, dribbling with nine good digits and a splint. He hits a game-winner from three-quarters court at the buzzer.

“If I had to go into a dark alley and I had to put my money into some guy finding a way to come out, I don’t think I want to be in a dark alley with him,” Blunt laughs. “I would be willing to bet everything I own on the fact he was going to get out of there.”

•

There have been darker alleys than Game 4 for the Nuggets Sunday against the Blazers, but few more desperate. Without Murray’s 34 points and nine rebounds late Friday night, the Nuggets don’t send Game 3 of the NBA’s Western Conference semis into overtime. And yet without Murray’s four turnovers, three coming in the extra periods, the Portland Trail Blazers probably don’t pull out a 140-137 four-OT victory, taking a 2-1 series lead.

“Lots to learn about that game,” Murray would say later. “I’ve got to be better.”

The kid who played through the broken finger is 22 now, still learning, still climbing, still battling. Despite a bum shoulder and a badly bruised thigh, some 10 games into his first NBA postseason, the 6-foot-4 Murray has bettered his regular-season averages in postseason scoring (20.5 points per game versus 18.2) and field-goal percentage (.444 versus .437).

But, for better or worse, we define our guards by the hearts they break on the biggest stages, by the blood the daggers leave behind. Dame waving the Thunder good-bye in a first round playoff series. Billups from half-court against the Nets in 2004. Iverson over Tyronn Lue in 2001. Kobe over Bruce Bowen in 2008. Jordan over everybody.

“Early on, I felt like he was maybe pushing the issue a little bit,” teammate Torrey Craig says of Murray. “But now he’s just settled down and he looks very comfortable out there.

“I feel like he figured it out. First playoffs, he’s still a young kid. He’s a great player at the same time. Great players figure it out. Great players always figure it out.”

Great players find a way to get the last word. One minute, Murray makes your heart dance. The next, he’s stomping on it. One minute, he’s draining step backs over 6-foot-11 Enes Kanter. The next, he’s fiddling with his shoe.

Lots to learn. Sometimes, the hard way.

“He was hesitating in Game 1 (against San Antonio) to take the mid-range shot they were giving him,” former NBA guard and current TNT analyst Jason Terry says of Murray’s postseason run. “But as you watch the film, you could see in Game 2, he was much more aggressive and assertive. And if you watch (Game 3 in Portland), it was the same thing: He came out and he knew what the defense was giving him, and make or miss, he took the shots that were presented.

“I think (he’s been) pretty good for a first-time playoff participant. In the games that he’s played well, they’ve won. In the games where he hasn’t shot the ball well, they’ve lost. Winning the first series (versus the Spurs) was huge, and a lot of that depended on his play.”

In the first three games of the Spurs series, Murray averaged 15.6 points, 2.0 assists and 2.0 per contest. The nadir was Game 3 at the AT&T Center, when San Antonio harassed him into just six points and four turnovers in the Spurs’ 118-108 victory, giving the 7 seed a 2-1 series lead.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone called Murray out after that one, and No. 27 took off. In the final four games the Nuggets’ star averaged 21.5 points, 5.8 assists and 1.4 turnovers. Denver went 3-1,  eliminating the Spurs in Game 7 to clinch the franchise’s first postseason victory in a decade.

“He’s been amazing,” Kentucky coach John Calipari says of his former protégé. “I knew he’d be doing what he’s doing this fast, this early. And it����ap just a joy to see.”

Calipari recalled visiting Murray in Charlotte a year or so ago, “when he was 0 for 13, couldn’t make a three to start the season.

“I just said, ‘Keep shooting the ball, are you out of your mind?’ Do you know how long the season is?’ And I think in that league, you’ve got to have some failure to make you deal with it, so you know it����ap not the end of the world. And the playoffs, the good news is it����ap not the NCAA Tournament, it����ap not one-and-done, you’ve got plenty of opportunities to come back and get the next one.

“Playing San Antonio, it was the best thing for them. I thought Denver had the better team, but San Antonio had the mentality of, ‘We’re supposed to win it,’ and that made Denver and my guy have to be tough enough to say, ‘(Expletive) that, we’ll win.’”

Great players set a tone. The Nuggets are 5-1 in the postseason when Murray score 18 or more. When it����ap 17 or fewer, they’re 0-4.

“I just know this,” Calipari says. “When he scores, and it doesn’t need to be 50 … (but) if he takes four shots, I don’t know if they can win.”

For Malone, it����ap a fine line: If the Nuggets are to survive, Murray has to get his, by any means necessary. And yet the learning curve continues on the fly, especially in late-game situations when No. 27 is handling the rock. Especially when, with 19 seconds left in the third overtime Friday night, CJ McCollum badgers Murray into a turnover that sets up the Blazers’ game-tying bucket. Especially on the defensive end, where Portland made it a point to pick on him in Game 3 after Gary Harris fouled out.

“He takes his craft seriously. I take it seriously,” Murray’s father Roger says. “We don’t really listen to outside noise, to be honest with you. That doesn’t sway us. Basically, when I’m watching him, he knows when he has a bad game. He’s like, ‘OK, what can I do, how can I get better next time? And what can we do with more consistency?’”

Great players kick themselves in the backside when they need to turn a corner.

“It����ap mentally, basically, the energy that you’re bringing, the style of play,” Roger says. “So when you bring that energy, it allows you to compete. And when you compete, then your craft shows. It����ap the type of energy, the type of focus.”

•

Blunt, now an assistant coach at Drake, made a point to keep one eye on Game 2 of the Nuggets-Spurs series and one eye on his phone. It started as an evening when Murray couldn’t hit the broad side of two barns for three quarters, a night when the natives at the Pepsi Center — with the Nuggets already down 1-0 in the series — were getting restless.

“I was laughing with some guys on my team about it, if you read social media … and we checked, and it was bad,” Blunt recalls. “And then he played dang near perfect (in the fourth quarter).

“And I think that sums him up. He’s almost stubborn for greatness. He has that ability to just block out everything else that happens.”

Blunt had a term for it a few years back: Glitch mode. When the computer can’t miss, when you’re ready to throw your controller straight through a stinking wall.

“Whenever he was getting into Glitch mode, like, good luck,” Blunt laughs. “It was like a video-game glitch, it was like a cheat code. Jamal just could not do wrong when he got into that mode. ”

Great players figure it out.

Great players always figure it out.

“I think the example of that broken finger just shows his fortitude,” Blunt says. “At this point in the season, no one’s fresh. He has that ability to really step up. It����ap that old analogy of the alley. I’ll bet that he will do it.”

Calipari’s current deal was amended in March 2017 to run through the 2023-24 season, with a base annual salary of $8 million plus incentives. Men’s basketball spokesman Eric Lindsey confirmed Monday via text to The Associated Press that the school reached a new deal with the Hall of Fame coach but did not provide details.

The 60-year-old Calipari tweeted last month that his “plan and desire” was to retire at Kentucky. He is 305-71 in 10 seasons with Kentucky and won the 2012 NCAA championship in four Final Four appearances. The Wildcats, a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, lost the Midwest Region final 77-71 in overtime on Sunday to third-seeded Auburn to finish the season 30-7.

Calipari’s new contract was first reported by the Athletic.

___

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/MarchMadness and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25

Kentucky totally and completely shut down the most prolific 3-point scorer in Division I history.

Thanks to that stifling defensive effort, the Wildcats are moving on in the NCAA Tournament.

Magee missed all 12 attempts from long range in his final college game Saturday, and Kentucky held off Wofford 62-56 in the second round of the Midwest Region.

“We wanted to make him put the ball on the floor and make a basketball play,” said freshman guard Ashton Hagans, one of the players tasked with shutting down the Wofford gunner.

Mission accomplished.

Reid Travis scored 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and made two huge free throws with 17.8 seconds left to help seal the victory for second-seeded Kentucky (29-6). But coach John Calipari knew the key to this game was at the defensive end.

“If they hit a normal amount of 3s, they probably beat us,” the coach said, savoring his eighth trip to the Sweet 16 in a decade as the Wildcats’ coach.

Wofford (30-5) certainly had its chances, limiting the Wildcats to 40 percent shooting (21 of 52) and holding its own on the boards.

But Magee simply couldn’t make a shot, which was even more stunning since he had hit seven less than 48 hours earlier in a victory over Seton Hall, the night he eclipsed the Division I record for career 3-pointers.

After his 12th and final attempt ricocheted wildly off the rim, skipping out of bounds in front of a stunned Wofford section, Magee rubbed his head in seeming disbelief.

A dirty dozen, indeed.

“I’m still kind of in shock,” Magee said.

He insisted that his looks weren’t that much harder than what he normally gets in the Southern Conference. But something was a little off, and Kentucky’s defensive pressure appeared to wear him down by the final horn.

It was only the second time all season that Magee failed to make at least one shot from long range, following an 0-for-9 performance at Kansas in early December.

“It just doesn’t seem right to end on a game going 0 for 12 from 3,” Magee said. “If I go 3 for 12, we win the game. I’m not sure how that happens. I’m sure I won’t get over it for a while.”

The rest of the Wofford roster went 8 of 15 from 3-point range. Nathan Hoover made four of them to finish with 19 points and Cameron Jackson chipped in with 11 points. Magee finished with 8 points on 4-of-17 shooting overall.

Kentucky’s length, athleticism and effort certainly had something to do with Magee’s dismal showing. Tyler Herro had a tough shooting game himself, but he did a yeoman’s job on the Wofford gunner. Hagans and Jemari Baker Jr. also stepped up at times to keep an eye on Magee.

“It was the effort and energy, and my hope is they got a little worn down because these guys did not stop,” Calipari said, looking over at his players. “They just chased, and they knew they couldn’t let up in this game or they were going to score baskets.”

Hagans added 12 points for the Wildcats, who fell behind by as many as 6 points in the first half before going on a late spurt that sent them to the locker room with a 28-26 lead. The Terriers briefly recaptured the lead early in the second half, but Kentucky went ahead for good with 14 1/2 minutes remaining and doggedly protected their advantage the rest of the way.

The Wildcats managed to win twice in Jacksonville without their leading scorer and rebounder, sophomore PJ Washington, who watched the games from the bench wearing a hard cast on his sprained left foot.

BATTLE ON THE INSIDE

Kentucky’s Nick Richards caused a stir the day before the game when he said his team’s big men were better than Wofford’s.

Actually, the Terriers weren’t overmatched at all.

Richards had only 3 points and three rebounds in 25 minutes, while EJ Montgomery was limited to 5 points and two rebounds in limited time. Combined with Travis, the forward trio had 22 points and 16 rebounds.

Wofford’s Jackson, Keve Aluma and Matt Pegram totaled 20 points and 22 rebounds.

BIG PICTURE

Wofford: The Terriers certainly proved worthy of the No. 7 seed, the highest for a Southern Conference team since 1979, but a horrendous performance by their best player spelled the end of their 21-game winning streak. Still, they can savor the first NCAA Tournament victory in school history.

Kentucky: The Wildcats head to the regional semifinals with all eyes on Washington, who will likely have his cast removed the middle of next week and hopes to be back on the court next weekend.

UP NEXT

Wofford: Will have to replace key seniors Magee, Jackson and Pegram, but the future looks bright for the tiny school from Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Kentucky: Faces either No. 3 seed Houston or 11th-seeded Ohio State next Friday in the regional semifinal at Kansas City, Missouri. The Cougars play the Buckeyes on Sunday.