Two-time NBA champion and legendary sharpshooter Mike Miller is a co-host on the OGs podcast with Udonis Haslem. The two frequently host guests and regale them with old stories from their days in the league. On a recent episode, they were discussing their roles as veterans in the league, and Miller told a story about his time with the Nuggets.
Miller was famously instrumental in the development of Nikola Jokic, and although his time in Denver was brief, Miller had a big impact with his leadership. In this story, he explained how the coaching staff asked him to work with a young lottery pick who needed help with his shooting.
He recounted how he agreed to meet the player at 9 AM, but the player didn’t show up until 9:15. He gave him another chance the next day, but the player showed up even later. Miller gave him a third chance, but the player showed up at 9:45, even later, and Miller had had enough.
He said he told the coach that it wasn’t working out, and that was that. Now, the player is out of the league, and his career never took off. He was drafted early due to obvious talent, but at least according to Miller, he didn’t have the right work ethic and never capitalized on his talents.
The player in question was almost definitely Emmanuel Mudiay
The only players who were on the Nuggets’ roster in the 2015-16 season who fit the mold of a youngster who needed to improve their shooting were Gary Harris, Will Barton, and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Barton and Harris weren’t lottery picks, and both had pretty successful careers. Mudiay was picked 7th overall in 2015, struggled to shoot, and was out of the league by 2020. It makes perfect sense that the Nuggets would have wanted Miller to work with Mudiay, an athletic young guard.
If Muday had been open to working with Miller and had improved his jumper, things may have worked out better for him, and he may still be in the NBA. This sheds a little light on why things may not have worked out for Mudiay and why he ended up being one of the biggest draft busts in recent Nuggets’ history.
At this point, there’s nothing to do but be grateful for the current state of the Nuggets. There was a tough transition from the Carmelo era to the Jokic era, and it was highlighted by the whiff on Mudiay in the draft. It just goes to show, young players can have all the talent in the world, but once you get to the NBA, if you’re not putting in the work, the game will quickly pass you by.