Links: Matt Moore writes on Jameer Nelson, CSG podcast talking Nuggets

It’s fun to highlight the work that others do in covering the Nuggets. If we find something that is worth passing on, we’ll try to do that as much as possible. Matt Moore from CBSSports.com wrote a tremendous piece with Jameer Nelson for a new feature that Moore is doing this season called The Vet.

Moore had the opportunity to talk to Nelson before media day and went in depth on a number of topics pertaining to a veteran player in the NBA. These long-form pieces can get lost in the shuffle of posts that highlight one Tweet or one punch or whatever clickbait topic is hot at the time.

So, I implore folks to take the time to check out Moore’s piece because it’s really awesome and gives incredible insight into a player on the Denver Nuggets roster. These are the types of pieces that should be celebrated. Here’s a snippet from Moore’s article and it’s accompanied by a podcast that Moore did with Nelson, as well.

“There are so many things that have to go to the knowledge of the game. You don’t just say ‘we’re going to go play basketball.’ Sometimes the defense breaks down and you have to know those tendencies in different situations, in different times of the game, in different quarters. You’re trying to get that knowledge to help you get any advantage you can.”

These lessons are hard learned. Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley once said something that other point guards have echoed in the NBA, which is that it really takes between four and five seasons to fully grasp how to play point in the NBA. Nelson notes that often times, young point guards are asked to lead veterans who have a decade or more of experience, right out of the gate. That’s the burden of being the man with the ball in his hands.

“It’s tough,” Nelson says with a shake of his head. “A lot of these guys are young. You have 10-year vets, 12-year vets, and when you’re young, you have to lead those guys. You have to get out of your comfort zone to be a leader. A lot of point guards don’t do that until their third or fourth year.”

In addition to Moore’s piece on Nelson, here is a link to the latest CSG Podcast with Jeff Morton, Ross Martin and me. We get into a lot of local sports talk on the Rockies, Broncos and Nuggets. The back half of the podcast is Nuggets centric and we tackled various topics – including how long term effective is the Nuggets current team building plan.