Being a pro is about a lot more than just skill.
It’s not defined by individual glory, or accolades, or producing highlight plays on a nightly basis.
Being a pro is more nuanced than simply how talented of a basketball player someone is, or even what kind of stats they put up.
It’s a mindset. It’s a commitment to your craft and a dedication to go about things the right way. To prepare to the best of one’s ability, to stay mentally and physically sharp, all that so when it comes time to deliver, you’re ready for the moment.
This past weekend David Roddy proved two things: that he’s a pro and that he was ready for the moment.
In his first substantial appearences as a member of the Denver Nuggets organization, Roddy was instrumental in leading the team to key wins over Oklahoma City and San Antonio. With the 3-seed on the line but the Nuggets prioritizing rest for many of the key veterans on the roster, Roddy stepped into the rotation and really played well for Denver. Aside from the numbers, which are impressive in their own right, his ability to deliver in the fourth quarters of both games was a testament to the type of player he is. Some guys get tense when the game is on the line, especially when they haven’t been playing regular minutes, but that was not the case with Roddy. He was calm, cool and collected in the most important spots, really serving as the closer in both wins. It was encouraging to see his composure, even after getting rocked in the face by Lu Dort. (Shocker, I know.)
In total, Roddy averaged 29 minutes per game over the two wins, scoring 21 against the Thunder before producing a double-double in the road win over the Spurs (15 pts, 13 reb). In a recent interview on the DNVR Rams Podcast, Roddy gave some perspective on his big weekend, as well as how rewarding it felt after grinding behind the scenes these past few years in pursuit of his NBA dreams.
“This past weekend was a lot of fun,” Roddy said. “A lot of work has been put in over the last few years for an opportunity like this.”
Apr 10, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward David Roddy (45) shoots the ball in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
A 2022 first-round pick, Roddy initially landed with the Memphis Grizzlies after a standout collegiate career at Colorado State. He was the 2021-22 Mountain West Player of the Year as a junior and helped guide CSU to its highest NCAA Tournament seeding in school history in the process (6-seed).
As a rookie in the 2022-23 campaign, Roddy played in 70 games for the Grizzlies and averaged 7.5 points while playing about 20 minutes per game. Since his first year in the NBA, the former CSU star has struggled to find a stable spot in the league though. After initially getting traded to Phoenix in 2024, Roddy has spent time with Atlanta, Houston and Philadelphia, before most recently getting one run with the G League affiliate for the Toronto Raptors.
On March 4th, the Nuggets signed Roddy to a two-way contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, bringing the versatile hoopster back to the state he made a name for himself in during his college days. It wasn’t exactly the path that he expected to get here, but he knew that this would be a valuable opportunity for him with a winning organization. In fact, after working out for the Nuggets during the pre-draft process, Denver has been a destination he’s long envisioned as a good fit.
“I knew that once I got called up to Denver, that I’d have an opportunity to play, whether that would be the next night on a back-to-back, or it would be the second-to-last and the last games,” he said.
“And I just knew that I needed to prepare my mind, to prepare my body. And again, it was just such fun basketball to play. You know, the Nuggets, they already play an unselfish brand of basketball, and everyone’s touching it, everyone’s confident, everyone’s aggressive. So, man, I really enjoyed it.”
While this weekend was validating on a lot of levels, it would be easy to be bitter about some of the circumstances he’s been dealt in his professional career. Roddy has what it takes to be an impactful player in a rotation and he showed that with how he produced for the Nuggets, yet this season he only played in five games outside of the G League. And had he not been picked up by Denver, that number very easily could have been zero.
Even so, Roddy isn’t leaning into the mindset of ‘woe is me’. He told DNVR that he has made peace with the past couple of seasons and has genuinely learned a lot about himself through the journey. What’s been beneficial about that perspective is that it allows him to just go out on the court and enjoy playing basketball. Obviously there was a lot at stake for him in this stint with the Nuggets, but he’s learned over the years that very little about this process is in his control. So it’s best to just stay in the moment, play freely and do what he can to help his team win.
“That’s the biggest thing I learned through my time in the G League this season, is just to stay in the moment and stay present,” Roddy said. “Just focus on the work that’s ahead, and then everything else will come after that. So I carry that same mentality into, you know, being a Denver Nugget and playing in the play groups with the coaches and the other guys, as well as just watching and observing. All of those lessons that I’ve learned, they showed. And hopefully it showed my maturity and showed my growth in those last two games.”
When asked what he’s gained the most from his time with the Nuggets, Roddy smiled and said that he just now has an ever greater appreciation for the team. He has been watching the guys from afar since his time in Fort Collins and certainly knew they were a talented group. But being up and close to it and getting to truly experience what it’s like to play with Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, etc, it’s been cool for him to see how dynamic the offense truly is.
“Being a part of it, it’s just super easy,” he said. “I would say that it’s super easy to play with Jokić. It’s super easy to play with Jamal, with ‘AG’, with all of those guys.”
Mar 17, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Colorado State Rams guard David Roddy (21) high-fives teammates as he walks down the bench in the game against the Michigan Wolverines in the second half during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
In terms of what he’s discovered about himself through the highs and lows of his NBA career, Roddy feels that learning what it really means to be a professional has been one of the more rewarding experiences of his life. It’s one thing to call yourself a pro. But it’s a whole different process to actually be a pro.
“It’s super easy to say, but it’s super hard to actually understand and listen and learn, until you go through some experiences in the business.”
Roddy continued, explaining that jumping from team to team every three to six months has taught him it’s not always a personal thing. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s just a matter of business. And in those scenarios it’s on him to stay focused and committed to the vision.
“You have to continue to stay about your work,” he said. “Can you continue to stay focused on the things that got you to that point and will hopefully keep you in the league? So that’s your hard work being a good teammate, just being a good person in general, being someone who is enjoyable to be around.
“All of those things fully encompass being a pro. And then the next time you get your opportunity, you better take advantage of it and really have that freedom, because you know you’ve prepared for this moment for so many years. I would say it’s definitely very rewarding, but also a very trying time of being a pro. But again, I wouldn’t trade it for anything just because I know who I am now, as a human and as an athlete, it’s light years ahead of what I was even two years ago.”
Apr 1, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Denver Nuggets forward David Roddy (45) shoots the ball during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images
Next season’s location is still up in the air at this point. And as of now, Roddy won’t be eligible for postseason play on his current two-way deal. But after really standing out in a couple of big wins for the Nuggets, a smart team should be able to optimize his potential in the future. Perhaps even the one right here in Denver.
Roddy might not be the type of star in the league that he was for Niko Medved and the Rams, but he has the IQ, toughness and the versatility to provide a role for the right team. Plus, perhaps more important than anything, the 6-foot-5 forward has the right mindset.
“I think my role, just with any team, is to impact winning,” he said.
“You’ve got guys like Jamal, you’ve got guys like Nikola, like AG, Cam, you know, all of those guys have their role. And then for me, as a guy coming off of the bench, or you know the last two games, it was really just to impact winning.”
As he sees it, it doesn’t matter if he needs to get an offensive rebound, guard the opposing team’s best player, or just box someone out really hard. Roddy knows he’s going to be expected to do the dirty work and that’s something he embraces. Just using his physicality and strength to impact the game. The thing is, if you don’t close out on his jump shot or give him too much space on the drive, as we saw this past weekend, Roddy can burn you with the finesse game as well. He’s a competent 3-point shooter and a solid passer. There’s far more to his game than maybe meets the eye at first glance.
“Do the dirty work, make the right pass, just get guys open and kind of make sure everyone’s on the right track. I think that’s really what my role will be, I hope,” Roddy said.
“Just using my physicality and just using anything that I can to impact winning. So hit a corner three, hit an open shot, attack, closeouts and kind of go from there. So my role is just to be a good basketball player to be honest.”
This iteration of Nuggets basketball was built on the mentality of refusing to skip steps. Nobody fits that description more appropriately than David Roddy. Seeing him make the most of this opportunity in Denver has been one of the cooler storylines of the season.