Katy Winge gets back to a bright Denver Nuggets reality

DNVR: Welcome back to Nuggets basketball! Even with the last three seasons being packed so tightly together, you seem to be very ready to get back to basketball. Is that right?

Katy Winge: Well, when you say I’m “ready”, I think what I’m ready for is that feeling of normalcy. I think that cliche, “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone”, was absolutely true in this instance. What makes my job and covering this team so great is the people that I get to work alongside and see every day. My Altitude team, the Nuggets team and coaching staff, the everyday people I get to see at Ball Arena, other KSE employees, it all feels like a family. 

When that’s snatched away from you, or you have to pivot in terms of how you communicate with them, it all felt so disconnected. In my heart I’m a storyteller, and because I didn’t feel close enough, I felt I wasn’t doing these players, coaches, and the team justice in telling their stories. That was a tough thing to balance and work through. 

Being around everyone again at training camp, it’s been so wonderful to have a greater feeling of insight and understanding of what the team is doing, what they’re shooting for. Moreover, just being around them all as people and not just as players is what I love most, so… I’m ready to get back to doing more of those things, and getting back to these “family” events in person.  

DNVR: It’s been a unique training camp with Jamal and Nikola away. Tell me more about the differences and energy of all of that.

Winge: A difference, but not something they focused on. Coach Malone last night, after Jokic joined the team, answered a postgame question of mine by saying, “we are a much better team when Nikola Jokic is playing”. It seems so obvious, and even though everybody knows that, it’s so much more evident when you watch the team with and without him. 

It’s a similar thing with Jamal Murray. I think the Nuggets surprised some people with the way they finished last season without Jamal. They just have this way of rising to the occasion, and that “next man up” mentality is very real for them. It’s something they take a lot of pride in. When you look at this group of guys, most of them have been through adversity, have been underrated, have been overlooked. So that underdog paradigm is very comfortable to them. 

I think this training camp was more about referring to the culture, the identity, to what Denver Nuggets basketball is. What they want it to look like, things that are their core tenets, what they are building on. Nikola Jokic knows all of those things. That’s not anything new to him. So, getting guys like Aaron Gordon and Austin Rivers, guys who haven’t had a real Nuggets training camp, be able to get on that same page, I think that’s really beneficial. 

Also getting some of the younger and more inexperienced guys some more run, getting the guys who weren’t healthy last year some solid and healthy reps was huge. It wasn’t a focus on feeling Jamal and Nikola’s absence, more a focus on how everybody else is taking those next steps to do what they need to do. To make this team great until they can be at full strength. 

DNVR: I’m glad you brought up Aaron. This offseason, with the Nuggets committing to Michael Porter, Jr. and A.G. with multi-year deals, the team looks to have placed its bet on a starting core for the foreseeable future. That’s a rare moment in Denver Nuggets history, no? What’s that like up close?

Winge: I think it’s the realization of the investment and opportunity in this year. The phrase, “the window is open” is often overused, but I think is really apt for this Nuggets team. I see the league as being pretty wide open for the first time in a long time, given all that every team has been through in the last year-plus/three seasons. Injuries and unknowns are also always going to play a factor. 

For Denver, the talent and the commitment is there. The culture is established. Having guys who genuinely want to be here and want to be a part of this is something that is so special. It’s been incredible to watch that grow. Being here since some of the initial steps, watching them come out of some of the struggles that they have, it all says so much about how far this franchise has come, the culture that is now established, and the belief in what this group can do. 

The Nuggets are willing to go all in, because they feel there’s a very real chance that a championship can be brought back to Denver in the next couple years. That makes me excited, it should make Nuggets fans excited. As you mentioned, it’s not something that’s often been done. It speaks volumes about just how excited and invested they are. 

DNVR: You were one of the few who got a close up look at training camp. Anything surprise you there?

Winge: You know, it was all the little things that surprised me. The players showed up SO ready. I say that’s a surprise, even though I know it shouldn’t be one… but everybody looked SO good. Everybody in shape, ready for the regular season, like they’d all spent a lot of time in the offseason improving their game. 

I think a lot of the reason for that goes back to your last question. These guys, they’re taking this moment so seriously. They don’t want to have regrets about missed opportunities, not investing enough time, and becoming the best versions of themselves they can be. You can see that in the way they’re each developing their games, and how seriously they are taking that growth. 

Another something that stuck out… I like what Bones (Hyland) brings to the picture. I really do. I think that as both a person and a player, he is a light in such a positive way. He’s so energetic both on and off the floor. The way he carries himself is just so fun to be around, so positive in the locker room. 

He’s also been an absolute sponge, soaking up endless amounts of information about Denver Nuggets basketball and everything that this team wants to be. As a point guard, someone who’s expected to go out on the floor and run your team, that’s a lot to handle as a rookie, and he’s handling it very well. 

During training camp, there were a couple of times that Coach Malone got on him, and even told us in the media he got on him and gave him a hard time. But Bones bounced back very quickly, and it didn’t throw him off. He just worked harder, and that’s something you love to see from a hungry young player. I think his play has been so fun to watch. It’s exciting, and it makes me optimistic about the early contributions he can make to the team.

DNVR: I love hearing that we’re adding another guy of that caliber, not just as a player, but a person. I’m such a fan of the people the organization just keeps pulling in year after year.

Winge: Absolutely. I give so much credit to what Tim Connelly prioritizes in players. There are a lot of teams that grab players that can be that on-court talent, but don’t always have or pay attention to culture.  

In Denver, building within the culture that Tim, AK (Arturas Karnisovas) when he was here, and now Calvin (Booth), to the Kroenkes and Coach Malone, across the spectrum, they’re all on the same page. Tim Connelly just keeps bringing in guys that want to be great, want to learn, want to be better, and have that gym rat mentality. 

You can see guys taking strides over the years that they’ve been with the Nuggets and their player development staff. It’s just so great here. It’s easy to say things like “We don’t skip steps.” but they really are so invested in personifying that. Then they go find guys who want to work, have the right attitude, and want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Guys who don’t have egos. And they have hit the jackpot there in so many ways. 

DNVR: One of the things I truly enjoy about doing these with you is your gift for conversation, and your ability to be gracious to whoever you’re conversing with. I also find that you take some insightful angles, often ending up with one or two of your questions of the players and coaches becoming the topic I see most outlets picking up. Where did all of that come from?

Winge: Well, first of all, thank you. That means a lot. It’s something that I have definitely worked on throughout my career. 

I think being a player really helped me in this regard, because I spent so much of my life being on the other side of the microphone and coming to understand what fans want to hear and want to know. I think that I want that mentality every time I do my job. Remembering what it was like to be a player, and remembering what sorts of questions got the best answers out of me. 

Also, going back to how nice it is to be back together in person, being able to engage in that human element. That’s what helps me see each of them as individuals, as more than just basketball players, as I know that there’s much more to who each of them are. I think that’s so important in allowing these players to feel seen and heard. 

That’s the most important thing to me at the end of the day. I want to tell their stories in a way that is the truest reflection of who each of them are. This team is so great and so likeable. Nuggets fans deserve to know them in that way. They deserve that, and the players and coaching staff deserve that as well. 

So I take time to think about it, and there’s many times that I’ll ask questions that aren’t even related to basketball. Players are people who get excited about the things that we get excited about too. So, I find myself a lot of times writing down the plays that the fans went crazy about, or the moments that changed the game. Maybe something that we haven’t seen from someone in a while. Asking them the questions about those moments. 

Because if we feel the way we did while watching, what did it feel like to them being a part of it? Observing it so close to the situation. I’ve found a lot of success in that regard, and have had a lot of people that have helped me along the way. 

In terms of establishing a level of comfortability, it just feels really good to be trusted. I feel so privileged to be trusted in telling the player’s stories and being the liaison between them and Nuggets Nation. 

DNVR: Things have moved so quickly for you since you’ve come to town, I’ve noticed I always ask some version of a “what’s next for you?” question. You are always wisely focused on what’s right in front of you, and I find that an admirable trait, but I also never know what’s next… 

So instead of asking the next-step question, I’m throwing a bit of a long bomb here. When all is said and done, what sort of a legacy do you want to impart? What’s the mark Katy Winge leaves behind?

Winge: Wow… I love that question. And I think being present and of the moment is an underrated part of life. The ability to be where your feet are planted is something that we’ve lost sight of as a world and a society. It’s something that I feel at my best and most grounded when I’m trying to be extremely present in moments. 

I think that it’s been so important when I think about what I’ve been able to accomplish here. This is my fifth season with the team, and my fourth season with Altitude, and I’m simply so overwhelmed with gratitude. The fact that people were willing to give me a chance to show what I’m capable of in growing with this team, being around this team, and talking about basketball. I feel so thankful in that regard. 

I’ve mentioned this in our previous conversations, but basketball has done so much for my life. It’s so much more than just a game. I’ve made some of my best friends from it, had so many life lessons, battled back from adversity, doubted myself and bounced back from that, and found confidence in myself because of it. 

I just hope that number one, for however long it does last, and I hope it lasts a very long time, that when people look back on my time with the Nuggets, they feel the joy I’m feeling in covering this team coming through their screens, speakers, or on social media. I hope that hearing me talk about the team, it makes them excited too, and it helps them somehow. 

Maybe it’s an escape from whatever they’re dealing with, as basketball does that for me. You don’t have to play the game to feel the power of it. If they’re lonely, I hope it makes them feel some sense of community through what I’m able to deliver, and that they feel like they’re a part of something. Being around the sport and being around teams gave me that, as well. 

I also had so many women that I looked up to, so I obviously have a soft spot for little girls who want to find themselves through something that they’re passionate about. Whether it’s basketball, another sport, or something else entirely, I hope that when they see me doing this, they can believe that they can do anything they want, find something that they love, and do that throughout their life. 

I just want them to feel like their best versions of themselves, that they can do something that they didn’t think they’d be able to do, because I’m doing something that a lot of people didn’t think that I could do. Delivering those stories in that way is something that I really care about. 

I hope that at the end of the day, people feel I was fun to watch, that I knew the game, and felt like I was a friend and somebody they could relate to. Somebody who inspired me in my life to do something that maybe I wouldn’t have done. 

In all those ways, I hope people love and feel more connected to this team and the people within this organization because of the way I was able to tell their stories.

DNVR: I often find your “Keys to the Game” to be pretty prescient when the game has finally wrapped up, win or lose. If we were to take a step back there, what are your “Keys to the Season”?

Winge: Hm. First off, Health. I think if there is anything we realized last season, it’s that sometimes there are things outside of our control. Even with that being an unknown variable, I think it’s the first key to this team being a serious contender in the West, because you now have all the pieces. It’s just a matter of them playing at their peak, and able to perform at their peak. So, health first and foremost. 

Second is guys knowing their roles. That’s going to be so very important. It’s something that the Nuggets have done such a great job of establishing. Everything runs through Joker, the MVP. How do you build around him? As a player, are you willing to sacrifice some of the fame and the glory that might come propping up your own stats to work alongside Jokic and sometimes do the little things that nobody gets credit for? I think guys knowing what this team needs from them is going to be critical to everybody filling in their piece of the puzzle. 

Third, I’m just SO excited for Jamal Murray to come back, whenever that might be, because I think he’s going to provide such a lift to this group. I also think there’s two upsides to this. While he’s not playing, it’s an opportunity for other guys to step up and grow. The potential is there for other guys to become more confident and take their games to the next level. Then you insert Jamal, and they’re still able to be those types of players? That is… exciting. “Exciting” really just doesn’t do it justice. That’s where things could really get fun. 

DNVR: I always love these. Thanks for taking the time. I am now ridiculously geeked out for this season. Any last words for Nuggets Nation? 

Winge: I’m so grateful for our conversations each year, and me getting to be a part of something that’s giving us all something to look forward to. I’m grateful for being a part of something bigger than myself. It’s a really fun team to cover, and I think the best is yet to come. I really believe that.