From the unassuming, doughy and doe-eyed leading man, to the compulsive, grind-himself-to-greatness lead guard, to an assortment of back-of-the-draft, front-line contributors, the Denver Nuggets are one of the more uncommonly constructed contenders. They’ve come up from the middle but have a collective identity and mentality that’s from the mud.
Scroll down the Nuggets’ roster and you’ll find players who entered this league with an immediate point to prove to the teams that didn’t think too highly of them as draft prospects. Check the standings and you’ll find a team that refuses to be ignored, despite missing the been-there-done-that, or biding-their-time-until-ready household names.
“We just know that we belong here,” said Nikola Jokic, the cornerstone all-star of the Nuggets who couldn’t be bothered with any more attention and craves success more than the ancillary benefits. “We give ourselves to this. That’s why we’re here.”
The…
