Coach Munson Post Practice Media | 2025 Summer League 🎙

as DA’s been putting his staff together, did you kind of get the sense that you may get tapped on the shoulder to coach summer league again, or did you volunteer or was it a surprise?
Um, maybe not a surprise, but uh DA and I talked about it um fairly early in the offseason, so I had a bit of a heads up, so that’s always good. Um excited to have the chance to do it again. It’s, you know, last year was a lot of fun, and this year get a chance to improve on it. So,
what did you learn last year that you’re definitely implementing this time around? Uh trying to be a little bit simpler to start. Uh I think I even said it last year in the same seat to try not to over coach things right away and I think I still kind of did. Uh so just trying to be simple, let these guys play confidently and free uh at least to start and then as we go, you know, we can build on it. But just trying not to get in their heads too much. We just want to see them get up and down. Have you received any sort of um I guess input or directives about what the priorities are with summer league this year in the roster?
Uh yeah, I mean obviously uh it’s always about roster guys, the two-way guys. Want to make sure uh they have a chance to show what they can do. Duran coming back super exciting for everyone. Uh so we want to see him uh do a little bit bit of both. Play the four and the five. See if he can switch on to some guards. Um and then just kind of big picture with uh DA. He’s got a few things he wants us to try on both ends. Um, nothing crazy, but just to to take a look at it, see what it looks like.
What’s it been like kind of working with Don as he tries to come back from the injury that he’s come back from? It seems like he’s a very positive, high energy guy most of the time. How’s how’s that kind of vibe with you guys?
Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. Like maybe the most positive person I’ve ever met in my life. Um, I mean, game one to have what happened to him happen and then the way he handled it even from the very next day. Like I everyone’s heartbroken for the kid and he’s like the most positive person in the room and then he’s continued that since since that happened and just super excited for him to be back. He’s been phenomenal with his rehab all year with his court work. Um, couldn’t be happier for him. More excited to see him back out there.
Are there any like limitations or precautions you have to take with him or is it kind of like a rip the band-aid off situation? Uh, no. I mean, uh, our medical staff has done a great job. He’s he’s had a pretty solid buildup to this point. He’s played with our guys most of the summer. So, uh, he’s not going to play 40 minutes, and, you know, we don’t have any backto-backs to worry about, but, uh, he he should be pretty much full go, uh, this summer.
Da told us at his introductory press conference said, “We need to switch things up. We can’t just pass guys do the same thing every single year.” And obviously changes to the staff that we we know are coming. So, how much are you balancing doing stuff that you all know has worked forever, you know, with Coach Malone and DAZ and then trying new stuff?
Yeah. Uh, I mean, there’s definitely uh some things we were doing towards the end of the season in the playoffs that we’ll we’ll build on from there. Um, we’ve put in a few new play calls, changed some play calls, so all that stuff’s new, different for our guys. Um, but there’s still a same general style of play that uh we’ll we’ll still stick to. We’re not going too crazy, but definitely some new things we’re already trying out with uh our young guys that are here.
How was the first day?
Awesome. Really great. Um Todd Czechovich did a great job putting the team together. We got a lot of experience. Uh the practice was really smooth. I talked way too much at the beginning introing everything, but uh a lot of guys that, you know, hit the ground running, so it helps. and uh really excited for the next few days. Saw Julian was hanging around. Were there other members of the roster here and and what was it like having him just kind of talk to the guys and bring some energy?
Yeah, I was asking if you wanted to bring his 30 points a game to Vegas even this week. But uh no, Julian’s I mean just like last summer, he’s in here every single day. Works out more than anybody on our roster. So, he’s here all the time getting his work in. So, today was no different. you know, he’ll hop in a few drills here and there, get his work in in the weight room, but it’s always good having those guys around with some experience to, you know, help out Don, our younger guys, and and some of the new guys.
What are the early impressions of tomorrow?
Uh, Tamar really high IQ guy. Again, like Don, really positive, high energy dude, and uh, man, he can really shoot it. He can really shoot it, which is a pretty good skill to have when you’re playing basketball. Uh, I guess Mike Dory coached a couple of years in a row. Have you looked at what the franchise summer league wins record is and shot at it?
Well, um I think we’ve been two and three. Like maybe PR can fact check me for a few years in a row. So definitely want to get to three and two, get above 500, but uh like I said, we got a really good group. I I think we got a pretty good chance to go down there and win a lot of games. So
have you seen DA just kind of wrap his arms around the coaching role in general for first off season? Obviously, it’s a little different when you’re taking over on the fly at the very end of the regular season versus having the chance to actually kind of start going through the process.
Sure. Yeah. No, it’s been uh really fun to see uh DA step into that role. Um and he’s he’s he’s handling it well. I mean, it’s a kind of a whirlwind since the season’s been over, I think, for him, but he’s doing a great job. Um you know, it’s it’s fun to kind of sit down and talk about, like you said, the end of the season was pretty quick. it was happening fast, but now to slow down and sit down and kind of talk about how he wants to to build things has been a lot of fun and um fun to see him do it. So, as you look through the actual summer league play, are you most looking forward to like implementing those new type of things or just seeing like what the guys have been working on and see them like meet those milestones and, you know, reach those check marks?
Sure. Uh probably a little bit of both. I mean, first priority is always kind of like I mentioned, like let them get out there and play and play free and confident and see what they can do. Um, but we’re coaches. We sit and talk about X’s and O’s 247. So, it’s really exciting to maybe see some of those new things in action and uh see what works, see what doesn’t, and see how we can tweak it a little bit.
How do you approach getting to know these guys individually in such a short amount of time and give them the confidence that you’re talking about? Uh yeah, it’s a definitely a challenge because you’re, you know, meeting these guys for the first time and throwing them out there. But uh we actually were able to go to the Rockies game last night. Everyone uh showed up and saw the Rockies, so that was a lot of fun. Um we even a few of the coaches got to check out the scoreboard where I think Cody Wise used to spend some of his summers. Um uh but no, it was good. It was a good chance to get to meet everyone like outside of the the basketball setting just more laidback and uh you know some of the guys have been around obviously our guys but uh yeah it was a good chance to get meet everybody last night and then it’s just trying to touch everybody individually to get to know them.
How helpful do you think it’ll be that you did this last year so new players but necessarily being new in terms of your schedule and how you kind of handle the the couple weeks? Yeah, definitely uh had the template set for a lot of emails, so that that helped. Um, but uh definitely like, you know, I already kind of knew what I wanted to do and then also like I said, I knew what I thought I needed to improve on. Some of the things that didn’t go well, some of the things I didn’t like that I was doing or that we tried. So, um, definitely feel like we’re I’m personally in a better spot this year, and then hopefully it shows up on the court. Looking forward to the elevator elevator doors for tomorrow for for a game winner in Vegas. That’ll be great.
Yeah, I like it. Why not? Why not?
Uh with with uh with wanting Don to switch and just kind of see some of that. Do you expect a little bit of a growing pain process just with the mobility of doing that when he comes back from this sort of thing?
Um maybe a little bit. I mean, like I said, he’s been working out with these guys for a long time now, and you know, he guards Julian, Hunter, Jaylen, all these guys almost every day. So, um, I wouldn’t say it’s as much of an injury thing as more just see how he does, see how he guards in space. Um, obviously it’s a it’s a team defensive concept, but, uh, pretty pretty confident he can do it and he’s got some pretty long arms to make up for any mistakes at the rim, so cool. Thanks, guys.

Hear what Coach had to say after mini-camp practice leading up to NBA Summer League.

Find Denver Nuggets news, gear, tickets and more right here: https://linktr.ee/denvernuggets

#nba #basketball #denvernuggets #nuggets #nbasummerleague #coachmunson

Coach Munson Post Practice Media | 2025 Summer League 🎙

2 comments
Leave a Reply