Justin Holiday Says Nuggets Got Him to “Believe in the NBA Again”

Justin Holiday Says Nuggets Got Him to “Believe in the NBA Again”

What’s the environment like like cuz you guys have gone into La now multiple times and in like really high pressure situations but when you’re being asked to come in Off the Bench and close in a manner that you were just like what what goes through your head how do you

Prepare for that every game I mean my go in my head is just go out do your job uh I will say up up until this point in the season I’ve had a lot of reps of doing it so yeah it’s just going just going to

Hoop play hard uh I mean you know you’re at this level you know what your team wants to do you know what you do well it’s not rocket science um and a lot of times it’s just effort be a smart the conversations that you’ve kind of had with Michael Malone and the

Coaching staff in the past is kind of how your role has gone from maybe somebody that doesn’t play every night to maybe somebody that’s playing a lot in very consistent moments uh just what’s the uh um what have those conversations been like with coach and and how honest and

Open as that di dialogue did yeah I mean they’ been honest uh it was just about being staying ready um understand there going to be some night I might get in there and play there going to be some night I’m not and I can kind of read that myself again I

Played this game a long time I know what it’s like when you prepare for games you can kind of see how things are going to go at the same time sometimes the way games goes it can change for me as we’ve seen uh so I don’t know it’s kind of

It’s kind of cool because it’s like you know I’m a person that takes pride in staying ready but youve never really been challenged to this level of staying ready as far as like going to a game not playing any changes for you so I like challenges and

I’m up for it you’ve been in the league a long time how did you learn how to stay right uh I pretty much have always just been like that um me and my brother my family brothers and sisters grew up with parents that worked out all the time my

Dad works out to this day like he’s a professional at think and I was Norm us um so our regular preparation our regular work I guess is was hard work and this is normal uh day in and day out and then going over the years of playing

I know what I need to stay ready to stay in safe to kind of have the best room I can without playing so you just kind of figure that out and go with what about the mental aspect of that obviously physically you rely under preparation but mentally how do

You mentally mental the mentality is a big deal um we as we all know it’s get to this level how you are mentally kind of dictates you know sometimes when people stay in the league people don’t Miss shot making shots but I think uh mentally pretty much my faith in God is

The only reason why I’m able to be like I have a certain past shoot this year that I haven’t even had a lot of my career I mean I really focused on trusting God and letting him kind of dictate how this goes um which takes the

Pressure off of me and puts on him much he wants so I literally go in like whatever happens is going to happen it’s nothing to happen long as I hold the might into the bargain that’s playing hard everything else going to be fine I mean I work out enough so I am prepared

I’m not going out there not working on my game and I guess that’s kind of where I’m able to be that way mentally and my teammates trusted me too which helps that as you watch the defending champs kind of seem to have kick it into another gear after the allstar break

What does that look like to you a guy who wasn’t here last year and now you’re on the team this year what have you seen from the team since the allstar break that appears to be another year yeah it’s it’s what I came here for uh to be

Able to be a part of that feel feel that intensity again done there once with the Warriors so I know it’s like it’s time to really take care of business and to be able to be a part of that man is really fulfilling uh really exciting um kind of makes me believe in

The NBA again if that makes sense cuz sometimes you go you on a lot of teams that just don’t have that edge but it goes to sh special it is Win not every team can do this so uh mayble to be a part of this this intensity this just

Turning and all ready to go is something that’s excited for me again is a reason why I’m here and hopefully we can continue to do this Until the End season I don’t want to ask the same question it was similar but in training camp you mentioned how it seemed like these guys

Have been playing together their whole lives CU that’s how it looked and felt over this winning streak here yeah 100% I mean I feel like I’ve been playing with him for a long time now um again the culture here the character of the guys um how they go about working again

How they you know care about each other trust each other makes you feel like you know it makes me feel like I’ve been a part of the family even though I’m just I’ve just been here you know however many months it’s been now so I can see

How and why you know they they’ve won a championship yeah fast you guys have the most uh crunch time wins in the NBA right now what’s the vibe like for you guys do you have any stories about these close games that you guys get the main

Thing is is like the guys are actually really comfortable and don’t don’t get rattled I mean we can go down the line of guys obviously we all know how yok is yoka throw something on his head with 45 seconds and if it gets there or not

Doesn’t change how you know how he feels Jamal as we know how he gets in crunch time he turns it up these guys is really really comfortable and aren’t afraid of that moment and so that’s just what I’ve noticed is when it comes to crunch time is not everybody else I guess is

Watching the season pressure but for us is just we’re just playing basketball we’re going to finish this out we know what to do in this and we’ve been there and that’s what we Championship does that’s it gives you that certain confidence to be able to go and take

Care of those big moments you guys clearly now made a statement like since the All-Star break has started what’s the what’s the next goal what’s the next thing that you’re looking to do just over these final few games I mean it continue to do the same thing continue

To go in that same direction of uh coming out and dominating uh winning these games and obviously not lose helps yeah works out like oh yeah what that look like but my dad is still on the old school workout type stuff so he does like he does weights

Everybody part so he’s working out he’s lifing for two hours he runs 3 days a week and literally like if he comes and visits me if he doesn’t get it like I come home I got out he gets it done every single day and that’s just what

I’m used to seeing you know H if he’s not hitting the waist and it’s push up situps purpose like he has a whole routine of how he does all of it and it’s it’s a way of life like I said so it’s just what we’re used to doing so

The other people was like it seems crazy but it’s just normal I guess one more one more see anything different in likee over the six games um I mean I didn’t him not missing at all I mean Mike doesn’t miss much at all anyway so I just think he’s being very

Very aggressive I think I I personally like how um he’s picking the spots very very well um there’s not much um wasted effort and getting to where he wants to get to get his shots going and that as a shooter that’s important um and yeah I mean long as he continues to stay

Aggressive I mean I think he’s defending well too he’s really really locked in the game like the the whole whole team is that this is really lock being ready to go and let go to watch

Justin Holiday Press Conference after Denver Nuggets NBA Basketball Practice. In a reflective press conference after a Denver Nuggets practice, Justin Holiday shares insights into his mindset and preparation for coming off the bench in high-pressure situations, emphasizing the importance of staying ready and embracing challenges. He discusses his evolving role on the team, crediting honest and open dialogues with Coach Mike Malone and the coaching staff for his increased playtime in critical moments. Holiday highlights the mental aspect of his game, attributing his resilience and performance to his faith and a rigorous preparation routine influenced by his family’s emphasis on hard work. His experience with the Nuggets has reignited his belief in the NBA, particularly appreciating the team’s culture, character, and the mutual trust among players, which he feels has been integral to their success.

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