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Denver Nuggets: Top six “glue guys” since 2000

By Kevin Oestreicher

DENVER - DECEMBER 3: Nene #31 and Chauncey Billups #1 of the Denver Nuggets sit prior to the game against the Los Angeles Clippers on December 3, 2010 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2010 NBAE (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER - DECEMBER 3: Nene #31 and Chauncey Billups #1 of the Denver Nuggets sit prior to the game against the Los Angeles Clippers on December 3, 2010 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2010 NBAE (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Glue Guy #4: Jameer Nelson (2015-2017)

Jameer Nelson was selected by the Nuggets with the 20th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. However, he was traded to the Magic immediately, and became an All-Star point guard.

He moved around to a couple of different teams, but then found himself in Denver in a trade where Nate Robinson was sent to Boston in 2015.

Nelson came in an immediately was the steadying presence on a young Denver team. His responsibilities increased over the next two years, as Denver selected two young point guards in Emmanuel Mudiay and Jamal Murray in the 2015 and 2016 drafts respectively. Nelson took it upon himself to teach them, and received high praise for it. From The Denver Post:

"But he perhaps made his biggest impact by mentoring his future replacements. Murray said Nelson taught him how to approach each day like a professional and push the pace as the ball-handler, while also giving him confidence to look for his shot. “I’ve just been studying what he does without saying a word,” Murray said."

The lessons that Nelson taught to Mudiay and Murray have gone a long way. Both players were raw coming out of college, with concerns about Mudiay’s shooting and turnovers and Murray’s ability to be a pure ball-handler.

Nelson helped both players mature and improve on their inconsistencies, and taught them both what it was like to be a professional. He’s a well respected player, and was extremely well-liked in the Nuggets locker room.

Without him, who knows how much Mudiay and Murray would have progressed, and if they would be as good as they are today.