After a productive summer that featured endless hours in the gym, Emmanuel Mudiay was back at the Denver Nuggets practice facility Saturday, taking part in the first day of the team’s Summer League minicamp.
Besides the countless hours spent on the court this offseason, Mudiay has put in the work off it as well. The second-year pro has gotten to know former Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups this summer, who’s served as a mentor for the 20-year-old heading into next season.
“Me and Chauncey Billups, we’ve got to hang out this summer some,” Mudiay said. “He’s like my big brother now. I’ve talked to him, go to him for advice too. I’ve talked to a lot of people, but me and Chauncey really have good a chemistry-type thing, a relationship-type thing, little brother big brother, So I could talk to him about almost everything which he’s helping me with it.”
Whatever advice the likely Hall-of-Famer can give Mudiay, the better. Billups played 17 professional seasons in the NBA, won a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, and was a 5-time NBA All-Star from 2006-2010. Billups also grew up in Colorado, went to college up the road in Boulder, and was with the Nuggets from 1999-2000 and then from 2008-2011.
“He’s picking my brain, I’m picking his brain,” Mudiay said of Billups. “Seeing what I like to do, seeing what he likes to do as far as basketball. I’m trying to bring a little bit of his game into mine.”
If any of Billups’ game and personality, especially his steady jumper and leadership skills can be rub off on Mudiay, it would do wonders for his development. The first place he’ll be able to put what he’s learned on display is at Summer League, starting July 8.
“I’m really not focused on my play, more so just focused on being a leader out there, getting people involved and just making sure everybody’s comfortable, Mudiay said of his plans for Summer League. “Of course I’m going to take care of what I got to do, but if someone else is better, then that makes me better, and that makes the team better.”
Billups is always mentioned among the game’s best leaders, both on and off the court and was someone his teammates could always confide in and trust. His relationship with Mudiay has taken off from when the two met last year and Billups’ leadership skills are qualities Mudiay hopes to instill in himself and show this summer and next season, especially with No. 7 overall pick Jamal Murray and the young roster in Denver.
“I think I can talk to him when he has a down time or something like that because I went through that,” Mudiay said of how he can help Murray. “I’m not like the vet vet, but once you go through one year, you feel like you’ve learned so much you can help somebody else with it. I’m not as shy as I was either last year, I picked it up towards the end.”
Mudiay already seems more comfortable out on the court and with the media than last year, but leadership isn’t the only characteristic Billups has been preaching that’s rubbed off on the point guard. Mudiay’s learning how to control the pace and speed of the game from Billups, something Mr. Big Shot did so well throughout his career.
“I don’t go at one speed like I used to, that’s one thing me and Chauncey have been talking about,” Mudiay said. “Slow the game down mentally. It’s still fast, but you can definitely slow it down. Especially because I’ve got the ball in my hand 80 percent of the time, so I really get to control and dictate the tempo.”
