Denvers Got Dogs: Nuggets Training Camp Insights

Dispatch from San Diego on physicality, the bench unit, and more.

Photo by Alexey Kolbekhin on Unsplash

SAN DIEGO — Tim Hardaway Jr. grimaced as he went in front of cameras, his knees packed in ice.

“It’s day two!” someone joked to him.

“Feels like day six!” THJ replied.

The Nuggets are not having an easy training camp.

It’s not about conditioning; Coach David Adelman actually commented that the three teams playing fives were playing so sharply and at such a high level that they haven’t had to drill as much.

But the level of competition and physicality is high.

The themes coming through are about Denver competing at a higher level, getting into teams defensively higher up the floor, and playing physical, sharp basketball.

THJ credited the third team for keeping the second team sharp. Bruce Brown on Tuesday said the second unit was “rolling.” David Adelman said the starters were showing that they are going to be “dangerous.”

So it’s all positives here at Nuggets training camp so far.

Wednesday is typically when things start to bog down. There will be a bad practice on Wednesday or Thursday that will spark Adelman’s ire; it always happens after a few days of practice when the newness wears off and the soreness sets in.

But the themes are consistent: building chemistry, establishing physicality, leadership from the stars, and a surprising amount of competitiveness from the third unit.

Here are my big takeaways so far.