Andre Miller enjoying leadership role at the Denver Nuggets – NBA Update
Andre Miller has been a bit of a journey man in the NBA, for over a decade now. He has played for quite a number of teams, but when the Portland Trail Blazers traded him to the Denver Nuggets, it felt like he had come home.
Denver has always been a preference for Miller, so it was little surprise that he jumped at the opportunity of going back to the Pepsi Center. What has been a little surprising is the ease with which the veteran has settled into life at the franchise, and
how well he has moulded himself into the de-facto leader of the team.
The Nuggets boast one of the youngest rosters in the NBA and, at 36 years of age, Andre Miller sticks out like a sore thumb. That anomaly however has turned to strength for Miller, as he has taken over the task of running this young team.
He is like an on court coach for the Nuggets, barking instructions and calling plays, with the talented young stars of Denver, the likes of Danilo Gallinari, Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo, all heeding his commands. As point guard, and as the veteran on the team,
Miller knows it’s what he’s paid to do, and he is enjoying it.
“That’s my job,” Miller told HOOPSWORLD. “Anytime I can say something that will help someone, get someone an easy basket or make someone’s job easier, I’m doing my job.”
Under the tutelage of George Karl, the young Nuggets outfit has been doing much better this season than was expected of them. In fact, Denver have given quite a few stunning performances and are in contention for a playoffs spot.
Considering the fact that they lost a number of players to the free market, J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin, and traded away long time centre Nene, it certainly has surprised the pundits.
Not Miller though. He knows that the roster is a very young one, with an average age of below 26, but the talent is there for all to see. In fact, Andre reckons it is the deepest team he has been on in his long career, with Denver possessing a whole host
of talented individuals.
“This is probably the youngest team that I’ve been on, but it’s also probably the deepest,” Miller said. “We have a lot of guys who can come into the game and bring something to the table. We’re fighting to get into the playoffs. That’s the main thing right
now. Once we get to the playoffs, we’ll see how good this team can be.”
With an old horse like Miller guiding them, it doesn’t seem farfetched to suggest that Denver could, if they make it there, give any team a run for their money in the playoffs.
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