Denver Nuggets look to 'embrace the culture' as they target fresh start at NBA Abu Dhabi Games

Head coach Michael Malone confident team can reach the level that delivered the championship last year

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone will be relying once again on star Nikola Jokic in the new season. AFP

With new additions to bolster the squad and the departure of a key starter, the Denver Nuggets will arrive in Abu Dhabi to tip off their preseason next month looking to rebuild a cohesive unit that can deliver a second NBA title in franchise history, to go with the one they secured in 2023.

Denver are scheduled to face reigning champions Boston Celtics in two preseason games at the Etihad Arena on October 4 and 6, and while head coach Michael Malone hopes to get his team in shape as soon as possible, he says there are also other priorities for them during their upcoming visit to the UAE capital.

“I think I speak for everybody in our travel party that we're excited to visit a part of the world that most of us have never been to, to meet many wonderful people and to try to embrace the culture,” Malone said in a Zoom call on Thursday.

Malone will be taking part in clinics for local coaches, and hopes to make a positive impact on the basketball community in the Emirates.

“What I hope that we can accomplish is when we come to Abu Dhabi and we do some clinics that we can maybe teach and help some young coaches over there learn some of the things that we do in the NBA as coaches,” he added.

“And I know that we have the best players in the world, but it's also about fundamentals and teaching young boys, young girls, the fundamentals of the game.

“Our hope is we come over there and we can help the coaches in Abu Dhabi become better coaches and learn a thing or two that will help them in their respective programs.”

This will be the third edition of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games and will pit the last two league champions against one another.

Nuggets superstar and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic returns to the capital for the second time in three months, having taken part in a training camp with Serbia in Abu Dhabi ahead of the Olympics in July. But the majority of his teammates will be visiting the region for the first time and coach Malone believes there is a lot to look forward to.

“My mindset is to have a very open mindset. I love to travel. And the great thing about the game of basketball is that that ball has brought me all over the globe. And what unites people from different backgrounds, from different cultures, is a love for the game,” he said.

“This is the third iteration of the Abu Dhabi Games, which we're very, very proud to be a part of, and the goal is to go over there and just try to immerse yourself in the local culture. Be thankful for them hosting us in their country, in their city, in front of their fans and to put on a good show.

“We want everybody to walk away from these two games having learnt a little bit about the Denver Nuggets, having learnt a little bit about the Boston Celtics, and enjoying watching some of the best players in the world. So I go there with a very, very thankful mindset, open mindset, and being appreciative to be a small part of something special.”

Jokic and Jamal Murray have together formed a formidable partnership that brought Denver a first NBA title in the Nuggets’ 47-year history last year.

After a disappointing defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs last season, Jokic and Murray are expected to get the Nuggets back on track. But they’ll be doing it without the help of starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who signed a three-year deal with Orlando Magic earlier this summer.

Some reinforcements were brought in to help cushion the blow of losing Caldwell-Pope and Malone feels he has all the ingredients to help guide the Nuggets to a second ring.

“One thing I know about the NBA is that things are always changing. Change is inevitable,” said Malone.

“And I mention that because last year’s team, we lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was our starting two guard, a big part of us winning a championship the year before. You sign a 17-year veteran in Russell Westbrook, who will be a first ballot Hall-of-Famer, we're so excited to add Russell Westbrook and his family to our family.

“You add a player from Croatia, NBA veteran Dario Saric, who has been a part of some very good, talented teams, and we welcome Dario and his family.”

The Nuggets first-round draft pick DaRon Holmes tore his Achilles during the Summer League and will not play in this upcoming campaign but Malone is happy to have him on board, along with the other young players on the roster, which he insists is about more than just Jokic.

“Nikola is a great player, and for me as a coach, and what I learnt many years ago from my father, who was also a coach, is that great players make everyone around them better, and Nikola has done that year in and year out,” said Malone.

“We know that he's one of the greatest players to play the game, as proven by his three MVPs, but as we add players around Nikola, it's always about complementing his skill set, adding guys that can play with Nikola, thrive with Nikola and Jamal Murray, who we feel is one of the best players in the NBA as well at his position.

“Michael Porter Jr, Aaron Gordon, a lot of the guys that have been here for many years, and Nikola is great, but we also have a lot of other talented players, and now we have to find a way to speed the process up of bringing all these players and new players together to become a family and attack this upcoming season.”

Last season, the Nuggets were trying to become the first back-to-back NBA champions since Golden State Warriors won in 2017 and 2018.

“The toughest part about that was that if you don't win a second championship in a row, everybody thinks you failed. And you had 29 teams every night coming after us, as we had a bullseye on our back, we were the defending champs, and everybody wanted to dethrone us,” explained Malone.

“And now that torch is going to pass to the Boston Celtics, and they'll have to experience that. But I have to say, I give our players a lot of credit. Throughout the season, there were times that we had to remind ourselves of who we are and remind them of what we were trying to accomplish, in terms of being a back-to-back champions, and then ultimately, when we lost to Minnesota in the second round, that was devastating for all of us. But that also allows for you to take an opportunity to look within and find out how you can become better as a player, as a coach, as an organisation.

“Because once you've tasted that success of being a champion, everything motivates you to try to get back to that, to experience it once again. And as we open up the season with the Abu Dhabi Games, that's something that we hope to try to get back to.”