“To have a comeback, you have to have a setback.”
– Mr. T
A longtime friend and I were catching up a couple years ago at a low moment for us both. She’s one of those sorts of folks who ended up with all of the cards in her younger years… brains, talent, heart, kindness, wit, and more. One of those folks you just knew would be succeeding mightily as they swept through life, probably voted Most Popular and Most Likely to Succeed.
Which made it all the more heartbreaking that little while back that her whole world had turned upside down. Ventures both professional and personal were crashing down around her, and she found herself weathering a storm that she couldn’t have imagined herself in the midst of even months prior. Being in a similar spot, we gave some mutual moral support. It made it all the easier to feel for her plight.
For amazing falls, and eventual redemptions with the Denver Nuggets, it really was all in the cards…
It’s more than a little remarkable that Mid-October, Ariana Lenarsky called her shot with Zeke Nnaji (fast forward to 40:37 on the video). When the Six of Wands popped up, even she couldn’t hold back laughter at the idea of the absurdity of it, when she told Adam, Dev, and D-Line that Zeke was looking at a season of victory. A season of victory and glory. While they all looked for angles at how it might be possible, Ariana put it succinctly when she said, “this card means ‘I win’, for Zeke”. At the time, Nnaji’s contract was considered one of the Denver Nuggets albatrosses, a pockmark on GM Calvin Booth’s judgement.
Four and a half months later, I pity the fool who hasn’t gotten to witness Nnaji’s heartwarming turnaround. You’d have never imagined Denver having to go extended stretches without both Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, very much forcing Nnaji into action. The broad response from Nuggets Nation was “let’s hope he can just keep it together”. After a few well-played games, even earning a couple Defensive Player of the Game chains along the way, most assumed those were still showcases of Zeke’s talents before the trade deadline. Nnaji went nowhere. Thank goodness.
Staying in Denver, Nnaji is now everywhere. Zeke has now strung together enough of those sorts of games to be garnering notice from some of our favorite national voices as well.
Nnaji is unquestionably the Nuggets Comeback Kid this season, resurrecting his career by having stayed ready through what were probably some interminable and grueling moments of self-doubt and social media roasting. There may not be a more satisfying turnaround in the NBA this season, taking that with a giant grain of biased salt.
Denver’s other squads have some similarly unlikely Comeback Kids whose timely turnarounds could make a world of difference, for player and team alike. Here’s one idiot’s picks for who might just fill that bill for the Rockies, Broncos, and Avalanche.
There are very few names who leave a more sour taste in the mouths of Rockies fans than Kris Bryant, but the newly-minted DH has a real possibility of mounting a comeback this season for the Rockies. Looking healthier than he has since his precipitous drop on arrival with Colorado, Bryant has come out of the gates hot in Spring Training, and will take less wear and tear on his oft-injured frame staying off the field on the defensive side. While a return to his MVP-caliber play (or even Rookie of the Year-level play) seems unlikely, 80% of god-mode Bryant would be a massive weapon for a Rockies squad that has a lot of enjoyable young talent in the mix.
It feels a little unfair to label such a tepid performance from the running backs room at the feet of young Audric Estimé, but he stands to possibly be the only member of the 2024 group remaining in ’25, and Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton is known to have an affinity for the young back. While the Broncos will surely have a couple new names in the mix for the upcoming campaign, a big and more-consistent step forward from Estimé would pay huge dividends for a Broncos offense. An offense who could rarely rely on the threat of the run to keep opposing defenses honest. With the rather remarkable start of quarterback Bo Nix, adding a backfield threat will improve Denver’s offensive fortunes exponentially, and a star turn from Audric fits the Broncos needs and budget to a pity-the-fool T.
There wouldn’t be a more heartwarming comeback story in Colorado sports than the someday-return of Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who was recently announced to be missing the remainder of this regular season, with the unfortunate assumption that will also mean these playoffs as well. Landy still deserves that C on his sweater, and still maintains that his return is a matter of when, not if. After three years of rehabbing his unprecedented return to the ice, he would be monumentally impactful for the Avs, both in body and spirit. Gabe’s doggedness over the last 1,000 plus days has been an example for anyone needing a little inspiration in getting back on their feet and staying there.
Speaking of doggedness, I hadn’t meant to left you hanging up top. That dear friend described above had a comeback of her own, utilizing those brains and guts to carve a path she hadn’t even conceived of when everything fell down those couple years back. Like so many who stick it out in the tough times, she’s not only back on her feet, but reimagining those lofty heights.
Like Zeke. Like Landy, we hope. Like we wish for Audric and Kris. While the more-positive output is always wonderful for the wins we hope to see from our favorite teams, it’s all the more inspiring to see their joy as they finally get to sing their redemption song.
