Could Trey Alexander help the Denver Nuggets THIS season? | DNVR Nuggets Podcast

Could Trey Alexander help the Denver Nuggets THIS season? | DNVR Nuggets Podcast

[Music] oh baby M my favorite show of the year the outside one what is up everybody welcome to the dnba show live from beautiful Stadium swim right outside the cir Sports booking Casino my God is it beautiful out here what happened [Music] kale I think we’re on don’t worry about it I think we’re still going live uh look at us here man we got the pools in the background we have an enormous size screen behind us oh hell yeah we’re vibing man I’m going to tell you something about cira this is a real testimonial I am cleaning up at the tables this trip you really are actually I can’t believe what a run I’m having I wish that meant that you were picking up after yourself not at all absolutely not although I did just learn Emma taught me that you hit the service button that’s when they come to service your hotel I got dine in the house that’s right guys I am in my element a swimming pool yep that’s dine he loves it over here a guy who was just swimming around right before the show went live friend vote little sunshine never hurt anyone you know what I mean that’s not technically true melan melanoma hurts quite a few people in fact this is the exact environment where it might hurt but I’m having a great time um the lag is terrible they but it looks like he’s on it and then over there the cool one Superstar Dev I mean I’m excited uh for this show I am really excited for the show to end so I could uh enjoy these pools uh at cir Stadium swim right after this man we’re going to be outside here today and tomorrow here at Stadium swim enjoying the beautiful actually we’re in the shade I hope we stay in the shade I’m not going to lie they just turned the music up and I’m not kidding man I’m not joking when I say this that Circa is my favorite place to play Blackjack like a love Blackjack that’s my game I like to play a little Blackjack it’s just such a good vibe in here man last night was one of our alltime Blackjack sessions I think as a group we were on fire everyone was having fun just a real treat yeah we made new friends you’re welcome Ciro yeah you’re welcome well actually I’m thank you losing money on us over here uh we got a lot to get to today the Nuggets played their second summer league game and we’re going to talk about I think this the hype tra hype train it’s not quite leaving the station yet boys but that first whistle is like going and it’s like hey All Aboard I’m on I well it hasn’t left I’m telling you people can get on today today might be the last time you can hop on the Trey Alexander uh hype train because that boy is looking phenomenal we’re also going to talk about Julian STW jayen picket a whole bunch of other things Don Holmes I got we got a lot of topics here but I want to start with the game the Nuggets dropped the second game of Summer League they’re 0 and they’re playing the Toronto Raptors who as we mentioned yesterday extremely tiny and on the second night of a backto back and man they should have won this game but they collapsed in the end of the third quarter they gave up a 16 to4 run that was the only reason they lost they rallied back Julian Str got a shot to win it Dev but it was not to be it was a very good play uh designed by coach mson got him an open three guys to reset the reset the stream so are we we’re not doing a show right now no show we’re live but I have to reset the all right well we’ll see you in a minute guys thanks Joey thanks [Music] Joey I think we’re back K what do you think all right I mean I just saw Joey walk out so I think that that was the thing we just saw so I think we’re live uh all right let’s just try to get through this here so um the game we’re going to start just with the game de and uh they they come up just a little bit short what’s your just overall takeway of the game before we get into these players yeah I’ll just say that it did start out like with some promise like we got to see you know a few players pop uh the Nuggets had an early lead and they looked like they had some momentum so like that was that was a fun part of the game they they seem to not miss um then we got to see them like Tinker a little bit with um you know guys doing different positions um we got to see like the defense like not go the fall the shots not falling and then we saw a collapse um but I mean I I I think that that was a game that they were right there they had a chance at the last shot and it just did not fall what do you think of the game uh I mean the game was fun dude I love it it was a great game who cares if they win or lose honestly but like um there were the things that you wanted to see that you got kind of some answers on questions it was very entertaining there were great shots that were made there was good finishes like through and through it I I love I I love that game I did too you know the thing about this summer league that’s interesting is it feels like you know last year I felt like the whole team there were guys that were playing you almost felt like everyone could have a night or this or that this year it doesn’t feel that way kind of feels like two guys are having a really good summer league and everyone else is really struggling and those two guys are of course Trey Alexander and uh Julian Str and let’s start with Julian Str here because he is averaging 28 and A2 points a game which is kind of wild he had 32 points last night he goes six of 12 three which is extremely efficient 10 of 21 overall which is pretty good for for a lead guard especially at 32 uh points five assists as well which he was uh Distributing a little bit so to me I mean I I first just evaluate this Game Dev because I feel like this one was a lot better than the first one the first one was had its highs yeah I love the fact that he’s a um a volume shooter like he he does not care he came into the into this game with the mindset of I’m going to score every single time um like vot vote talked about last um you know podcast before that we we we talked to somebody in the front office and they said hey right before the game Julian STW is going to take a lot of shots he’s going to be the guy that we’re going to run the offense through um we’re going to see how many he can score and he’s scoring really well um this one did look a little bit different this was against guys that are um on par with him seconde players um you know OA um and Grady dick and and he went right at those guys he was like Hey I’m going to show you guys that I can score as well um and they just seem to just put him in these positions where he’s able to Showcase different elements of his game we’re seeing the playmaking you’re seeing him get downhill where it seems like he’s falling every single play because he’s trying to um score and finish and he’s getting up the the the the three-point attempts he shot 12 12 of them six of 12 that that’s what you want to see from a guy especially in the second year so I I love what I seen from Str Str has the ability to get threes up and that’s a skill like I was going through later in the show we’re going to talk about guys that stood out in summer league in years past for the nuggets I think it’s the most threes any nugget has taken you know what what he’s getting and it’s same as how he played in the regular nuggets he’s I think it’s underrated and underappreciated how hard it is to get threes off but it’s not hard for him that’s one skill he has yeah he um man he was impressive he really looked like what you expect a second-year player to look like at League to fully separate themselves to show you that they have made the leap and they are no longer playing with guys that are their contemporaries like now they’ve surpassed uh what it is to be a summer league player He Man like his game was so different this year than it was last year um you’re right about the threes like he has a shot where he gets it the arc is so high that he’s able to sort of get it off over anybody which is dope but and quick and it’s just like kind of like I mean it’s a weird shot right but and it’s also like it’s also the point where I expect every single one to go in when he lets go of it which is incredible like but he the his straight line drives and his yeah just diving like landing on the ground I’m I mean I didn’t see that at all from him last year during the Nuggets season and it’s like a very different Dynamic to his game that I didn’t anticipate but he finishes really well and he’s Fearless like it’s uh that part that part to me is the big one like I was arguing somebody was arguing with me for some reason about him I I said he’s on a bad ankle and someone’s like no he’s not you know you know what it was it’s cuz he also had the cramp the next game and then he clarified that that was the cramp and not the ankle yeah he has both he was saying that he had both he I mean look he rolled it in I think Wednesday scrimmage yeah it was Wednesday scrimmage in Denver they actually held him out of the rest of practice and you know it wasn’t bad and I don’t think it’s like horrible but it clearly is affecting him but what’s crazy about it is the very first play of the game or one of the very first plays of the game he starts wincing and like he came down he jumped for a tough pass and caught it and he comes down and he gets rid of the ball real quickly and he like grabs it he kind of goes and you’re like oh man is he going to even play this night not only does he play he’s aggressive but aggressive in the way you’re talking about tough he threw his body at the paint and at the like 10 times in this game and for a guy that was clearly in pain to be able to risk like that that showed me something Dev yeah I think that it it just shows that like he I mean he’s that type of player he’s that type of scorer where he’s going to do everything that that that he needs to like we we know him as a just a shooter that that was the mindset he’s showing that it is more to his game he’s showing that he can um step out and do those other type of things and um he’s willing to to give it all this is Summer League a lot of guys would have would have just set it down after having a good game um two good games they they they set it down asked him after the game like you know do you plan on playing he was like yeah I mean maybe and I know it’s not up to him but like the fact that he’s he’s ready to keep playing um you know that that that says something and if you’re a rookie in this league or if you’re a guy that’s on the summer league roster and you see this guy going all out it just goes to show you like how much further you have to go as well so um not to just show him being a leader but it is showing like I am willing to do anything that this organization this team needs me to do right now and he’s doing that and here’s the biggest thing kale and I gave you a clip to play from him after the after the game here’s the biggest difference to me he looks like the speed of the play and I know it’s still summer league not quite the NBA but you know it’s it’s still something he just looks like he is reading the speed better than anyone else and Grady dick was on the court for the first half last night dude he terrible but but Julian looked like the speed the physicality all that stuff to him like he has figured it out and he actually talked about it after the game [Music] talked about finding your NBA Pace or the pace that you need to play with here what does that mean for you uh I feel like when I had first got into the league everything was moving a lot faster than I anticipated just because when you watch the game on TV um I mean just like the average fan you think that guys aren’t playing hard and they’re playing hard they’re moving fast and they’re strong and quick and you know it kind of at first it’ll catch you by surprise and it’s easy to get sped up especially by a vet that knows you’re a younger guy and and haven’t experienced much so uh just being able to go through the year and kind of slow my game down not only just physically with speed but also mentally just processing things and being able to see things before they happen a little bit um obviously I’m playing with great bets and guys that see things before they happen really well when do you think that started for you like when did you start to think like I’m getting the pace of this the speed uh for sure after I got hurt uh after I had hurt my knee and uh Jan AR I got to sit down and and kind of watch the basketball for a little bit and you know coach Malone would give me task on on different nights just watch Jamal tonight I want you to watch everything he’s doing or whether it’s a guy on another team that might have a similar archetype to me just kind of getting getting me to you know think the game inste of just play it I absolutely loved this quote and one of the reasons I like it vote I mean obviously the thing about pacing is really cool about just like how the speed is coming to him I love that it he said it came when he stopped playing like he went through a little piece of playing then stopped and then it became all right mental let’s look at this it’s almost like you reset and then by the time you get back into the mix you’re better for it so I just thought that was a phenomenal Insight from him and I love to that point asking players about that experience when they come back from injuries because I think you can learn a lot about a pro I think some guys that maybe have talent but haven’t made it when they’re not playing that’s what they’re doing not playing but Julian uh made himself a student of the game accepted assignments from Malone in terms of where his focus should be as he just mentioned and I think that tells you a lot uh I I think it tells you a lot about um about stw’s approach in general reminds me of his quote about having to go to the G League after being hurt uh because he was he wanted to play uh he just wanted to get some reps in and hoop so I just don’t stra strawther doesn’t strike me as above any of this no what a pro wants dude yeah and it’s uh it’s what a coach wants man what a coach wants but it was a great it was a great quote and I think stw’s head’s in the right place man dude it’s so beautiful it’s like this is the only thing you want to get get out of summer league is be like there’s a guy there’s like a guy that’s beautiful yes well here let me give you this one I’m curious what you think about this I like guys that are thoughtful and seem to understand like some guys can do with the thing but they don’t they can’t articulate it you don’t know if they understand it just like comes an eight I feel like he is very reflective and in all of his answers not just this one he’s a good interview and he’s very reflective where you’re like oh no he’s really thought about he’s internalized it he’s digested it he’s really abs absorbing what’s going on I mean I think that the front office just my take on this is that I think they really value the uh interviews that they do with guys like I really think the personality means a lot to them I think that’s like what sold them on pton Watson I think that that’s what sold them on Julian St there’s like there’s not the Nuggets don’t really have any Knuckleheads which is not usually something you can say for NBA roster there’s like a lot of guys that you know I mean that’s just kind of like the nature of the sport like there’s just guys that are out there hooping you know and it’s cool whatever but the nuggets have uh nuggets culture baby nuggets culture it’s stronger than that lousy heat culture even though we’re we ourselves are in heat culture right now yeah I think that there’s also like the aspect of Str um St has played NBA games like he understands that pace he got to to feel what that’s like it’s not like just a rookie that came in um and played g-league the whole time where he could just dominate he got to see how fast the NBA game is so I feel like you you try to adjust you try to play at that type of speed but you also are mentally like prepared and ready for that and I’m not going to lie the summer league that I feel like that’s trench work like they are aggressive they’re in this very you know very small gym where you just kind of have to go through that type of speed and you know in a a gym that small they’ve been playing in in the smaller gym you get to see truly how fast it is and and and we’ve got to see that when you get to play I mean when you get to watch like court side games and like being up close like that I I know you know if you’ve been to a courts like it looks a little bit different when you’re super close to it um and it’s just physical so I think that he understands the physicality he understands the speed um he understands things that he had to work on and he truly did put in the time um to Just Adjust and get ready for this moment yeah just just quickly like there’s also something that you can look at with Julian St in that he was sharing the court with at least four other guys that did play NBA minutes last year and he outshined all of them to such a degree including grd dick including AI [ __ ] oaji close holy that was incredible that was great you’re the Chuck of the show for sure I love it it doesn’t matter that’s a compliment he’s the goat who he play for anyway uh point being is that there were guys out there that actually had decent NBA campaigns last year and they didn’t look good at all yeah and Julian St looked like the guy like uh which is very meaningful to me and I think there is something to like you said he NBA reps I do think that’s different than g-league reps all right we got to take a break cuz we got to keep it moving on the other side though we’ll talk more about STW on tomorrow show cuz I do want to ask questions like should he be starting yes or like like you know is he in the conversation Michael M said they’ll be battle we’ll get to that stuff tomorrow as well as talk about what parts of his game will translate but first let’s take a break on the other side the hype train Begins for Trey Alexander oh man the hype Train’s beginning over there by the pool chg getting ready okay here we go we’re excited to launch our new partnership with our friends at UC Health oh they they would not approve of anything with no they wouldn’t we actually didn’t run it by them UC Health knows how important mental health is and encourages coloradans to live their healthiest lives through State uh through Statewide initiatives that include taking care of your mental health they want you to live like there is a tomorrow and think about what’s best for yourself think about how you want to be the best version of yourself in all of your relationships uh so you can bring more to those relation ships but the truth is that that work can’t always be done alone and it’s really important to be taken care of your mental health dude yes we’re entering a period where mental health is going to be uh Paramount for a lot of people former UC Health p uh patient David schlick uh for example a Colorado teenager who loves being active Outdoors he’s a great example of someone taking care of their mental health uh his path through Olympic hopeful took a turn when he lost his leg after a ski training accident and with the help of UC Health doctors David decided to amputate his leg was almost immediately get back uh able to get back to doing what he loves most being active Outdoors uh but also this is a this was a struggle not just about getting active again physically but staying healthy mentally through a really really challenging time so if you want to learn more about David’s story and see more inspiring patient stories from UC Health you can head to UC health.org tomorrow to learn what it means to live like there is a tomorrow and if you’re looking for a for a new employee you got to get within D they’re driven by the search for better but the thing is when it comes to hiring search is not the keyword you don’t want to search you want to match takes forever to search you can match with indeed much rather match I love matching if you need to hire you need indeed it’s your matching and hiring platform according to Indie data they have over 350 million Global monthly visitors in a matching engine that helps you find a quality candidate fast fast is a key word here but it’s not the only one you also want to get this higher right quality matters and indeed indeed doesn’t just help you hire faster 93% of employers degree indeed delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job sites according to a recent survey and of course we’re not just telling you this for fun we’re telling you this because we’ we’ve got we’ve got a little gift for you listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at indeed.com allity just go to indeed.com allity right now and support our show by saying you heard about indeed on this here podcast indeed.com allity terms and conditions apply need to hire you need indeed all righty we are back before we into TR Alexander just want to remind you on the 21st of this very month you can come to the dmvr bar and win a flight and a hotel room here at Circa sports book and casino if you want to be right here at Stadium swim four chances to win three Raffles and a tournament where you play that college football game you guys heard about you play that game if you win you get to come out here Circle will hook you up with flight and hotel plus I’m going to hide Brendan vot’s passport somewhere in this area you could win and maybe come find it there you go uh go to the dvr.com and check out the events page I don’t think there’s going to be that like that’s a some Raffles it’s like you have a one in 20,000 chance of winning this one you have a pretty good chance I like you got like a one and how many people be at the 25,000 yeah yeah 25,000 yeah uh all right let’s get into this guys cuz it might be I mean Julian stra probably the most consequential storyline of summer league but maybe the most fun the most Saucy the most exciting Trey Alexander man two games in a row has looked like one of the guys man one of those players I mean the second best nugget I would say easily in the summer league so far and in last game he goes there 18 points four rebounds five assists two steals one block just three turnovers shoots six of 10 crazy he only got 10 shots off I actually want to see as this summer league goes on if he can get more cuz I feel like right now he’s trying to play with it himself and now he elevates to a higher seat I I I think after these last two games but vote Trey Alexander man well it’s been really fun watching anyone who wasn’t in yet buying the stock over these last two games if you’re in the arena from the media to the fans we’re all looking around after every bucket we’re all making a face after at each other because it looks smooth it looks like something that this kid can do at the next level and dare I say it almost looks like one nugget in particular particularly the pullup mid-ranger when he’s going downhill he’s he somehow is able to get up into it and kind of fade and it’s cash and it looks a lot like Jamal Murray and obviously I’m not saying he has a player the whole package is Jamal but that one little shot it sure does and you watch him and you think okay he might have to figure some things out in terms of the playmaking the patience maybe that’s an uphill battle but could he come in for a few minutes at a time and get a bucket at the next level Dev I’m I’m thinking the answer is yeah yeah I just want to make sure that I throw it out there um before um Adam takes this has always been my guy yeah there you go this has always been my I’ve been on this guy for about 5 years like watch for little league so you didn’t see him back when he was in Middle School like I did huh I didn’t think about that about that um but like really like uh the things that even back then is he could always get a bucket Trey Trey Alexander has been about a bucket and in that first game I feel like he wanted to prove that I’m about a bucket and this game was a little bit more balanced and I think that that’s what what stands out and why he looked so good it wasn’t only the score in which he had his best game uh scoring 18 points um efficient but he also ran the offense and that that was the change the first game I felt like there was some selfish moments where he had to prove prove that this second game I’m going to let the game come to me a bit and I’m going to Showcase that I can I can score but also I can I I can run it a bit more um he finishes with five assists um scores 18 points um a part of the offense where they wanted to keep him out there the entire time like you just kind of have to and then he also showcased you know a bit of the defense he has the size he has the length he has the athleticism um and he’s showing that it does come a little bit slow for him like he is starting to to learn it and and and that’s as a rook this is his second you know debut game in NBA and at this type of speed and you just love that he’s able to adapt so I mean he has been like the story of summer league right now we already knew what to expect from Julian STW we just love to see it but Tre Alexander is a guy that’s on a two-way and a very weak um draft that you’re like how did this guy go on drafted and maybe maybe the Nuggets got a steal here I I asked him after the game about that balance between the scoring which I think is natural for him and the playmaking and patience which he had had identified as something he wants to improve in especially after Michael Malone told him hey maybe you can play on and off ball and his answer it did another thing that kind of reminded me of Jamal a little bit he says it all just starts with his aggression and if he’s aggressive first it opens up room to make plays for others so again like this guy isn’t Chris Paul but he can get downhill and I think if he scores enough you’re going to see him have an effect on the defense uh what the floor looks like and who he can find and where the extra pass to Hunter for the open win three was nice he had a really nice find at PJ Hall when it looked like he was stuck uh that great bounce pass threaded the needle he’s confident man and I really it’s been really fun watching him work what do you think I mean I’m in love I’m in love I really like his game I really no not about your fiance about Trey Alexander Oh I thought we were talking about Dev we’re talking about who uh listen man so here’s the thing is that like not like pretty notable I think is that there were two guys that that are on contracts that we were coming here to watch at summer league and one of them is seemingly in a competition to take over the backup one responsibilities for the Denver Nuggets and both of those guys Julian Str and Trey Alexander combo guards were running the offense with Jaylen picket on the floor and they both have like very good handles and they actually both remind me of Jamal in that way too where he came out he was a two in college and he you know was defiant in that he could play point guard and both of these guys can play point guard they have the handles I mean like I I don’t I don’t think I buy it for straw but but for Trey I mean definitely either way though like both of those guys are able to initiate offense even if they are not the primary ball handler and you know that’s something that I think is still a very big question mark obviously for the Denver Nuggets and I so I really like what I saw out of uh out of him well so this kind of leads us into our question which is like he’s been so good now that I think I’m starting to ask like huh what if he played this year yeah I don’t think you go into it with that plan like I mean he’ll there’s nothing he’ll do here that’ll make you say like oh it’s good we found he’s he’s going to blow the G League next year but it’s more like could he well hold on I it was more like could he become like get a minutes and it’s like hey he’s pretty good and then he has to go out of the rotation cuz people are healthy but when he comes back you’re like yeah but we we know he can do it I kind of am there for him but here’s my thing Dev on on on Trey I don’t buy that he’s a point guard but I don’t know that it necessarily matters in in this way I think he could play the one or the two for Denver and I actually might like him more as a two Jamal Murray even now I’m not I don’t think he’s a point guard he’s a pick and roll point guard which in the NBA is like 80% of it but I think Trey Alexander is the same thing he’s not a point guard but he is a pick and roll point guard so I think he can play the pick and roll and create from that yeah when you even look back at last year when Denver looked their best it was when Reggie Jackson was playing well and not only playing well we know what what it comes with Reggie you score the basketball can you put the ball in the basket it’s not about running the off or anything with that second unit or you know a group down the line you want a guy that can playmake but also is going to be able to score Trey Alexander showed that he can score um and the ball gravitates towards him he’s bringing the ball up but he also he’s he’s not afraid to shoot the ball um in that type of way and you’re just going to need some type of offense to get ignited especially if you’re going to be um a backup um to Jamal Murray and things like that love that bring it up though is cuz the bench might stagger Jamal and so then it’s like well okay well if he’s there you don’t need a backup like piet’s not going to play that right oh he’s now the shooting guard and he might play with Russell Westbrook if that’s still on and he ends up Denver so there might be opportunity for him to be a two and I look at that and I go yeah but he could be a two I actually think he would be good alongside of Murray good alongside of Westbrook and that’s where it’s different is he has a versatile uh entry point that’s what Malone approached him with early early in practice early in Camp if you will uh that there that that versa ility essentially is his opportunity here in Denver and to that point guys bit of a different player but he’s also been sharing the floor with a point guard so he’s in summer league so he’s been having to pick and choose his spots while understanding jayen picket depending on the rotation is going to have the ball in his hands for some of these possessions so I’ve actually liked his ability to okay this isn’t me this isn’t me now it’s me that’s a hard thing to do and I just think the turn on the aggression button at least this level it is a button it is something he controls yeah but to even pull on that thread you just talked about those stagger um you know like if you have a Jamal he’s showing that he can be a backup point guard but he also could be a you know a shooting guard and step over so there goes extra um minutes with them and he has the size for it too which is important and also not only has he shareed those times um with a with a point guard he shared those times with Julian Str who possibly could be right next to him like right we’ve seen STW take 21 shots or is just getting that shots up and he’s still able to um fit in and show that I could also stand out in these type of ways as well and that’s what it’s going to be his Niche at the next level is at no point are you going to say hey TR Alexander we’re going to run the offense through you and you’re going to be able to but he also can step in and do those type of things so I do think that that’s a replacement for that second unit somebody that you could throw in there that’s different from what we’ve seen um with a Colin Gillespie um with a it’s similar to Reggie Jackson but a guy that can do a little bit of both so I I like that replacement and secondary ball handling like a guy who can handle the rock alongside a point guard but doesn’t necessarily need the ball very Denver has not had a ton of that I want to see him take like 15 20 shots next game and or at some point like I I I like watching Strather play I don’t know how much he has left to prove maybe Denver keeps playing him maybe it’s just good experience for him they keep playing him I mean because it’s fun yeah of course but and it seems like he really wants to Julian seems to love ball which I really love but Trey Alexander at some I hope he does here’s what I’ll say I hope Tre Alexander gets to play one game without STW where he’s the number one scoring option that’s what I hope because I want to see one of the things I want to see is can he get shots up uh cuz that’ll tell me something about him yeah that’s a that’s a good point I it is it’s just uh obviously did in college but I’m saying at this level yeah yeah yeah yeah I I think he has it in him like I’m so I’m so bullish on him to me too I didn’t expect to be this excited about I’m not going to lie like you know I go in with everybody with a little like a healthy dose of optimism and skepticism you know where you’re like all right well I want him to be good whatever but Trey Alexander has far exceed did what I thought to the point where I go again you don’t go into the season counting on it but I would look at it and go he’s right there on the list of guys who I hope get an opportunity and if they get an opportunity I’m I’ll be like very excited to see if it translates he has a very and he has a game that I think can expand the length and size to me is a big part of this is you don’t look at it and say yeah he’s good but there’s question marks you look at it and go the question marks are going to be skill can he add some physicality to his game the pacing but he looks like a guy that should be able to add those things so I’m all board everybody all board Allard are you sold are you sold Dev yes I’m sold you guys are in you you sold so I even want to go back to how you opened all right I agree it wouldn’t be the best plan a but also man if they don’t get Russ at this point plan a is what Jaylen pick it no I mean we’ll talk about that what I’m saying so like it’s not off the table that Trey Alexander has to help I don’t you can’t you can’t do that to Trey Alexander though I I agree I just they may be doing that to Trey Alexander just I’m so I’m so s that you guys are in on my guy you were so early on it man unlike Dev who just just like woke up today and said I’m in on him Dev wakes up and what sees him in high school like come on dude uh let’s take a break on the other side we got the good out of the way let’s talk about the bad on the other side stay tuned let’s talk about the good again actually cuz I want to talk about Toyota man are they good the official vehicle of dmvr that’s us we are we’re taking all variety of ride share taxis every time it pulls up and it’s a Toyota smile across my I’m like wow it’s going to be it’s going to be a nice ride a nice ride a safe ride a 5 ride hey if you’re out in Colorado you might need a truck you might just need something with all available all-wheel drive whether you’re conquering off-road trails or hauling the way to the world you got to get with Toyota uh they got the great trucks you know about like the 2024 Tacoma the return of the iconic 2024 Land Cruiser and then all told Toyota offers 17 models with available all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive like the Epic Four Runner they also currently offer more low and zero emission Vehicles combined than any other auto maker to give customers numerous choices to reduce their carbon footprint 16 different hybrid vehicles to choose from 16 hybrid vehicles like 16 total that you there if you buy one there’s only 15 no no like 16 different kinds what yeah there’re more than 16 available uh so no matter what kind of Colorado you are there’s a good chance there’s a Toyota for you Toyota SUVs take command on the road and on the trail you can even Explore the Less Traveled without sacrificing smooth City rise and SUVs like grab for the grand Highlander do yourself a favor visit your Front Range Toyota stores at a location near you that includes AutoNation Toyota arapo and Centennial Corwin Toyota in Boulder Groove Toyota in Littleton Mountain States Toyota in Denver Stevenson Toyota east in Aurora Stevenson Toyota West in Lakewood remember Toyota is a proud partner of the Denver Nuggets and the official vehicle of dmvr uh listen when we get back to I’m firing up the bet 365 app for what I don’t know yet I just know I have a lot I’m going to bet on TR Alexander I don’t even know what what rookie of the year that’s not even listed uh but look who knows cuz I bet 365 they don’t do ordinary they believe every sport should be epic right now new customers can choose between two offers when they open an account at bet 365 use the code dmvr 365 to sign up deposit $10 you get two choices a bet and get offer place a bet of five bucks or more and get50 bonus bets or a first bet safety net offer place a bet up to $1,000 and if you’re qualifying bet loses you receive a matched refund in bonus bets how neat is that must be 21 or older physically located in Colorado please gamble responsibly if you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help caller text 1800 gambling you know he’s got a gambling problem the blackjack tables here at Circa they do real problem they really do all right let’s get into the bad we’ve had some optimism and hope here let’s now talk about the bad which is of course my guy jayen picket uh abs absolutely atrocious in game two he was bad in game one game two was a little bit worse even he had four nice assists that came off of interesting play some of the stuff I still like one point dude he scored the first point of the game very that was it that was the first point yes oh that’s righty a free throw he went one for two um he uh he couldn’t get anything going man he looks one he had an airball he had another one that hit the like the left side he’s his confidence looks rattled his speed is nowhere to be found he can’t get around guys and honestly I almost feel like as that game progressed the team collectively went away from him he did make some big plays down the stretch just as like a connector but like not you know it’s almost like all right it’s winning time go in the corner I feel bad for picking honestly I do bad he’s playing right now and and that really that is a confidence like shoot like that your confidence is going to be extremely down he’s out there the entire time 31 like he stood out um in the best and the worst ways when it comes to being invisible like he did not turn the ball over but also like there was just points of the game that you just don’t remember him doing anything at all and then I think that uh the Shocker is we we used to like be on and love uh booty ball because it was new I think it was just so different well they’re not but they’re not running booty ball I’ll talk about this in a second in a way I mean the booty ball is like him just backing guys down from half court like no one’s going for that like these guys are are bigger than you they’re faster than you and they’re going to catch up after you you do you make your move so um Jaylen pick is not shooting the ball well he’s not uh creating off of the dribble he’s not getting into the strengths of him and it’s hard to do that in in a modern day where the the the ball is not in your hand every single time and I think that that’s what it is like I think that he’s adapting to not all the time are you going to be a point guard and it seems like he’s like one of those traditional point guards that it’s like I want the ball in my hands and I could make things happen but when the ball is not in my hand how do I how do I stay connected how do I stay involved and and we’ve seen that in in various ways like you just talk about Michael Porter Jr there’s like those times that it’s like okay if I’m not shooting what am I doing I feel like Jaylen picket has that at all times that the ball is not in his hands and now he smack your lips when you see him back a guy down so this this is a a horrible experience for him right now I think he’s done honestly like I just think it’s over I don’t even think there’s anything that could happen in the next couple games I feel like we’ve watched man’s confidence built away because he’s better than this not saying he was good enough to make it or whatever oh he he air balled one that was like I mean that’s it was Paul georgees airball right like it’s important to remember his career at Penn State went pretty well the guy can hoop but it it doesn’t look like it right now and if it’s not coming together in year or two even shot well in the G League you know like right right so this is just watching him and almost every shot feels like uh you can feel the indecision so yeah man I I think it’s that that’s been the the toughest part and he’s tried to stay engaged he’s actually been vocal out there I thought and he’s tried to stay engaged from the bench but I the the he’s actually super vocal I mean that part of the game you can hear tell people where to go and stuff you know but the the disappointment and the melting confidence is almost palpable from where we’ve been sitting and it’s been tough to watch yeah like uh for me like I don’t I’m not going to belabor the point of like what’s not working but the thing about a guy like Jaylen picket he’s such an anomaly he’s like such an anomalous kind of player that if you want him to be meaningfully used or utilized in your offense you have to like structure it around and he’s not showing that he has enough um upside in this league to Warrant that you like can’t structure your entire offense around it because it’s not effective to this point even though as Dev brought up yesterday very aply very deply I think is that like this is not an environment for a game like Jaylen pickets to be able to shine because it is such a Hooper’s paradise and he’s such a you know fundamental kind of player but man you know listen like there are this is why I mean summer League’s dumb but it’s also telling and there are guys you can’t get a lot from summer league but you can just see who are the one or two guys and who like isn’t there yet isn’t there and unfortunately for Picket at this point he’s just not there yet and it’s not getting better just to go back to the exact point that you just make like really I think that that is where it’s hard for him and also like for fans and everyone else is there are settings where Jaylen picket will probably be great like if he’s running a offense where they’re calling plays and they know he showed that he’s not turning the ball over despite being out there for 31 minutes totally and and some people don’t have just can’t get by anyone so like if you put let’s just go uh open gym setting if you put bones in open gym setting he’s going to score 65 we just I’ve just been watching all these uh on online ofay thp Clay Thompson in in the open gym he’s not going to wow you with that he’s he’s a he’s a basketball player nobody setting him up so no setting it up it looks like a regular guy can guard him but we all know I mean this is a guy that scored 60 points you know at some point like it just it’s a little bit different so Jaylen picket I really don’t think that this is the setting for him so now he’s I think in this game he just tried to show okay I can run the offense okay I can um set guys up and I can make these like cerebral type players I mean plays because I mean I think that he is he’s a true point guard there’s not many more true point guards in the league I think that the game is kind of adapted to that where we’re having these guys that can do a little bit of both but you need to put the ball in the basket um so I just don’t I think that pick it is not like I think that this is a horrible showing from him but that is not who he is as a basketball I mean he’s so much worse than he was last year right and that’s part of it we’re talk about Hunter here second is we know he’s not this bad and now he’s like extra all the things that were bad about him have somehow are being augmented and I’m going to give you like again he’s played so far below the standards I think he’s done I think the nuggets are going to have to figure some out we’ll talk about what they can figure out on tomorrow’s show but one thing as a basketball thing to pay attention to over these last three games they are running him almost exclusively at high pick and roll with a balanced core what I mean by that is they’ll have two guys on the left two guys on the right now to succeed at that you need but that’s actually setting it up for Speed like all right you’re going to collapse the defense here get to into the paint and make a a kick out uh they’ll have him like have it on One Wing and they’ll run two guys off of a double pin down and then he’ll like try to get set the table there for me he’s best when he is getting to the side or running against an empty quarter why that matters is he doesn’t beat you with speed but he does beat you with strength in getting to a spot and then making the right read he’s not in those spots and he was in at one time I’m not kidding when I say this I paid attention to it from the start of the game he ran one side pick and roll it resulted in a wide open assist uh for PJ Hall it was the only one they ran the the entire time like you think about pistol action 21 Chase those side screens or just an empty corner you know one five pick and roll but everybody is overloaded on one side about pistol Chase they never ran it for him except for one time and I bet you they do later on in here and I think he’ll have like one game where it looks good and I’ll be like I think there’s a correlation that being said he’s not good enough player for you to tailor anything including your summer league to him and you have to be able to be better than one point four assists at just regular basketball uh the other guy though and this is where Mac by the way the assist uh okay there you go uh the other thing that’s weird about this Hunter Tyson was first team All In Summer League last year yep he shot two of 11 yesterday 5 Points six rebounds he shot 50% from three last year he’s made two threes he’s shooting horribly this is why summer league man like you have to no matter how high or low you are on anyone you have to couch it by like this is the same guy only one year more seasoned and he is the 300th best summer league player this year where last year he was the fifth best that’s that’s what I keep saying like you can’t take anything from summer league but sometimes you can take something like you know like obviously we were all very energized and very encouraged by what Hunter Tyson was able to do last year he’s not matching it even to a the slightest degree this year he is being erased he is getting prayed on defensively he’s not hitting his shots it really is weird man like it’s funny because like Grady dick was out there and the the other thing is that like the we are seeing some legitimate like Bonafide NBA players not performing that well in summer league and it is it is a weird thing so you again like you don’t put too much stock into it because I mean Jordan Hawkins I love he is playing horribly in summer league right now I love Jordan Hawkins but again he is not good at Shake he has no shake to his game and like they’re trying to run him at point he can’t beat anyone and you’re like that’s a good player but to sucks here gry dick like the reason I keep bringing him up is because he actually reminds me a lot of Hunter Tyson like in the style of play uh this the body type uh they’re both white guys I don’t know if you noticed that and uh two first names yeah dude uh not well I guess dick is a first name of course it is Dick Van Dyke you’re right you’re right listen um I I’m not sure gr I use it I use it as a replacement yeah I use it as a replacement for your first name often that’s true but the point is is that like Grady dick looked terrible dude terrible and so did uh oi Boi or whatever close getting you’re actually getting further de what do you make of this with Hunter Tyson being this bad how can it happen I think it’s more so of um coming in with too high of expectations like I really think that he’s he’s playing himself out of like his strengths like he’s he’s kind of playing into his weaknesses I think last year he was kind of a Madman he really did play like a madman and um you know and talking to him he doesn’t want to be that and I think that that’s wild um but you’re starting to see that he I feel like he thinks that he has a more polished game than what’s actually there like he was his nickname was what the Monro minut yeah he has not been a minut like he’s not diving on the ball you know he’s not out there trying to be aggressive defensively he is getting into it with guys though but I feel like it’s almost more out of frustration frustration like one of those but like right now we’re seeing him try to expand his game and show like I can score I can shoot I can get to these spots and then they’re not getting there and now he’s it’s really frustration play so I think that he should just play just let it come to him go set a hard screen go and you know be crazy on defense uh go grab every single board that comes your way um and just show like I can bring some energy Hunter Tyson’s never going to be a starter you’re going to be a a backup guy that you need to come in and be able to affect the game in different ways that that that’s what energy that’s what playing hard the entire time and I don’t think that it’s lack lack lacad or anything I don’t think that he’s not playing hard but I think that there’s just a different type of of element that you have to tap into that he’s not right now because he wants to show I can score I can PL pass I can play make I kind of disagree I think it’s about this team right now so you’ve got two point guards one guy who has the ball in his hands a ton and then most specifically is not getting into the lane so these drive and kick like you’re getting Hunter kind of just twirling around screens or just rotating around the perimeter he’s not getting open though can I tell you something though this is the thing I feel like this summer league is specifically the way they are playing is specifically set up not for those guys and again some of you have to overcome to some degree but I do feel like those two guys have been the you know like the the victims almost in a lot of way how Denver is playing so he’s not getting a ton of space so it’s just danc on the perimeter and then force a shot up but you’re not seeing the drive and kick in fact when you do see the drive and kick and he’s wide open for catch and shoot I feel like he’s been money and then the last layer of this is this year it is very clearly and inarguably been Julian sters team that’s what I mean the game is is tailored to him and then obviously with these high pick and so don’t get me wrong Hunter has Hunter hasn’t been good but I think some of this is a as opposed to last year the J position I think some of it is a function of the offense lastly D line before I kick it to you I think he’s been really bad defensively too terrible that’s the part that’s scary yeah I mean I’m just saying like uh to your point like the offense in the first game all perimeter no no one getting any uh penetration this last game was all drive but no kick it was Julian St driving to the Lane crashing into the getting the shot up which was effective um but it just wasn’t it wasn’t uh tailored to the skill set of uh old honey of the Hunt dog of our a friendo for the show here about talking about who has stood out and who has not and the Ghost of Summer League past you may have noticed we’re doing this show outside we’re doing this show on location we’re doing this show from the great Stadium swim at Circus Sportsbook in Las Vegas Nevada maybe you my sunscreen Circ Resort and Casino excuse me in Las Vegas Nevada uh Saul looks for his sunscreen because the truth about Vegas is that it gets very hot gets very sunny and one of the great places to kick it when it’s sunny is a swimming pool I’m going in that pool as soon as we’re done here maybe before we’re done you can be done at any point there’s a 4 I got one more Point 4,000 person capacity pool down there we’ve actually got our own pool here cuz we’re Cabana living baby a giant screen where we’re going to watch some sport I’m creating my own wet space over here also yeah tons of wet space tons of wet space we had a great time at the casino last night as I mentioned earlier we didn’t even need to go out and hit hit the strap right we had a casino uh at the headquarters with

Trey Alexander has been one of the top stories of Summer League for the Denver Nuggets. The smooth shooting combo guard has impressed in both games, including last night’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, a team featuring some very strong defensive guards. So could he help the Denver Nuggets next season? And what is an optimistic trajectory for him?

Plus, Julian Strawther is showing us something we did not see in him before: toughness.

Start – 0:00

An ALLCITY Network Production

PARTY WITH US: https://thednvr.com/events

ALL THINGS DNVR: https://linktr.ee/dnvrsports

SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/DNVR_Sports

BUY GOLDEN ERA: https://www.triumphbooks.com/golden-era-products-9781637273692.php?page_id=21

Indeed: listeners of this show will get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://indeed.com/allcity. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? You need Indeed.

If you want to learn more about inspiring patient stories from UCHealth, you can head to https://uchealth.org/tomorrow to learn what it means to live like there is a tomorrow.

Visit Your Front Range Toyota Stores at a location near you – Toyota is the official vehicle of DNVR.

Go to https://millerlite.com/dnvr to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Tastes like Miller Time. Celebrate Responsibly. Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at
https://betterhelp.com/dnvr today to get 10% off your first month and get on your way to being your best self.

Manscaped: Get 20% Off and Free Shipping with code NUGGETS20 at https://www.Manscaped.com

Download the Circle K app and join the Inner Circle or visit https://www.circlek.com/inner-circle!

Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code DNVR for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.

Check out FOCO merch and collectibles here https://foco.vegb.net/DNVRNugs and use promo code “DNVR10” for 10% off your order on all non Pre Order items.

Sign up on the Volo app using code DNVR3 to get Volo Pass for only $10/month for the first 3 months.

Exclusively for our listeners, Shady Rays is giving out their best deal of the season. Head to https://shadyrays.com and use code: DNVR for 35% off polarized sunglasses. Try for yourself the shades rated 5 stars by over 300,000 people.

When you shop through links in the description, we may earn affiliate commissions.

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

bet365: Go to https://www.bet365.com/olp/open-account?affiliate=365_02162536 or use code DNVR365 when you sign up! Must be 21+ and physically located in CO. Please gamble responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help call or TEXT 1-800-GAMBLER.