"I do whatever it takes to win": Tyler Cook's intangibles make him an ideal fit with the Nuggets

Tyler Cook hates to lose.

He hates losing so much that Cook calls his first two seasons at the University of Iowa, where the Hawkeyes recorded just 33 wins to 34 losses, the hardest two years of his life.

“I had never lost that many games ever,” Cook told BSN Denver by phone from Atlanta where the Nuggets are holding their third-annual voluntary team minicamp in preparation for next season. “Going into my junior year getting back to the tournament was my main focus.”

Cook put the disappointment and frustration that came with his freshman and sophomore seasons at Iowa into his junior campaign. He worked out for NBA teams including the Nuggets ahead of the 2018 draft but opted to return to school, averaged 14.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists and followed through on his goal to lead Hawkeyes back to the NCAA tournament.

Cook then promptly put his name in the draft again but saw his stock tumble after suffering an ankle injury on June 6 in a workout with the Pistons which prematurely ended his pre-draft circuit. On draft night he wasn’t among the 60 players selected but the 21-year-old got a call just minutes after the draft ended that turned his evening around.

It was from Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who told Cook that his competitive spirit and desire to win would fit well in Denver. Cook was sold, and earlier this week his two-way contract — which allows him to be with the Nuggets for 45 days next season while gaining valuable experience in the G League throughout the rest of the year — with Denver became official.

“I went into the night actually feeling like I wasn’t going to be selected,” Cook said. “The eight or nine workouts I had to cancel could have helped me. It was definitely disappointing not hearing my name called at the end of the night but minutes after I was on the phone with Mr. Connelly getting things finalized.”

Before dialing Cook, Denver did its homework.

The University of Iowa and St. Louis connections where Cook grew up run deep in the Nuggets’ organization and helped Denver gain intel on the 6-foot-9 big man. Nuggets manager of pro personnel Scott Howard is an Iowa alumn and assistant coach Ryan Bowen played at Iowa for four seasons and coached at his alma mater before joining Denver’s bench in 2011. Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke is also from Missouri, as is team president and governor Josh Kroenke.

The Nuggets came away confident that Cook would be a seamless fit.

“When I was on the phone with Mr. Connelly he was relaying to me that my character, the way that I carry myself but also that the way I play on the floor fits their culture and what they’re trying to be moving forward,” Cook said. “He said he felt like I’d be a great fit.”

The Nuggets haven’t placed many intangibles above ‘character’ when piecing together their current roster. Denver has packed its locker room with egoless players who know their role, whether that’s to start and lead the Nuggets in scoring on a given night or come off the bench and add timely defense, and are obsessed with winning.

Cook checks all of those boxes, and if he’s called upon to give the Nuggets emergency minutes this season he’ll play his role which will be to provide defense, rebounding and energy. On the offensive end of the floor, Cook did all of his work almost exclusively from the paint in college.

“I’m a winner. I do whatever it takes to win ball games,” Cook said. “My role on this team is really just to be a guy who locks in defensively, makes open shots, finishes around the rim and is also a great locker room guy.”

In Atlanta this week where Nuggets players and coaches have assembled at Paul Millsap’s Core 4 practice facility for workouts, Cook will begin to learn the tendencies of those who he’ll share Denver’s locker room with next season.

He played backup minutes with the Nuggets at Summer League and spent time on the floor with reserves Vlatko Čančar and Jarred Vanderbilt, but over the next few days will join forces with some of Denver’s top players in Atlanta including Millsap, Jamal Murray, Malik Beasley, Torrey Craig and new acquisition Jerami Grant. Cook has prior relationships with Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr., who is also from Missouri, and Monte Morris, who attended Iowa State and played against Cook in college.

Part of why Cook was open to signing with the Nuggets was for the chance to play with that caliber of players who came together to win 54 games last season and reach the Western Conference semifinals. Cook also wanted to be a part of a winning culture, something that’s been ingrained in his DNA since high school when he starred at Chaminade in Missouri alongside Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. Cook estimates that he only lost around 20 games in four seasons playing for the St. Louis powerhouse.

“I feel like the way I play the game and the way I approach the game fits with this team,” Cook said. “I feel that I bring something that everyone can use, everybody values and that people want to be around. I just try and do whatever I can to impact winning.”

Cook hates to lose.

So do the Nuggets.