Road to Gold: The Hometown Kid

Road to Gold: The Hometown Kid

Going in Colorado being a military kid I bounced around my whole life just wanted to watch a little bit of everybody take bits and pieces from everybody so whether been Tim Hardway Gilbert arenus Benny Hardway sham God watching hot sauce that’s when an one was big like I

Just watched a lot of basketball and uh played a lot on the park playgrounds and dribbling through the streets and in the house so just try to Ste parts of their games always dream imagine and have fun after signing with the team and showing up coming to Denver coming to ball Arena

And um driving by the Denver Coliseum where I won my last High School game played the elite eight there in 2008 versus Regis high school so it was just fun to go through memories it was just a quick flashback as we were driving by and then just thinking that um it’s all

Come full circle this is where I played high school basketball this is where I grew up and um being fortunate enough now to play for the Denver Nuggets uh last year especially knowing that it was a championship run um understanding that was the goal and being fortunate enough

To win one that was just a very cool moment for Myself no I just felt great being a HomeTown kid always talked about it growing up a little bit that I’d be able to come back home and win a championship never actually thought it would be possible so I guess you have to speak things into existence and I’m very

Blessed that uh I got to come home and win a championship being the hometown kid especially the first in franchise history and place that doesn’t necessarily get as much love for basketball and respect as uh it probably deserves what was your transition like at the end of last year figuring out a

New playing style this is definitely Denver Nugget basketball is definitely different from a lot of playing Styles in the NBA especially having um the talent that we have and the main key piece being yish the way that he plays so playing through the center a lot not

Necessarily just in on the post on block but um bringing it up playing out of the center of the Court um setting screens for him he’s really being a point guard out there that was a tough adjustment on the basketball court trying to figure that out but great locker room great

Guys played with some guys before I’m fortunate enough had is Smith had been teammates twice before being an OKC um also being in Detroit for many years um some like have competed against my entire college career and then being together so a lifetime friend it was fun

Having him playing with pope before uh for many years in Detroit Bruce Brown had some familiarity um going up against DJ being friends in those those instances and so that helped a lot like that transition was really great and then everybody else was just so welcoming everybody’s talked about how

Early you were in the facility this summer working out did you approach this off season differently or do you approach every season that way I always kind of go back sit my brother s with my going to come with a game plan of what

Um I want to do in terms of how I want to approach the summer and workout was the attack plan M of a move I think it was probably interesting for people how much I was in and out of the city making sure to work out staying here but I

Definitely wanted to be close to the team wanted to be with the staff wanted to make sure I’m understanding our calls like I said our offense is definitely a little bit different terminology is very interesting getting here last year that was tough part of the transition basketball is pretty basic pretty

Fundamental it’s it’s a lot of checkers um football I would say it’s chest when you get here I think the years that yic coach Malone and his coaching staff Jamal has been here his whole career really that core and then having Mike as well AG been here some years and Pope

Just picking up so quickly the calls are pretty unique they’re pretty intriguing so you can’t really just pick them up you really have to understand what’s going on but I think it make it tough on other teams to really guard what we’re doing but making sure I was staying here

Getting the terminology getting reps um working with the young guys and then allowing the coach staff and the front office like to see me working as Well I couldn’t have been in a better place or around a better group of guys to make sure that uh I was going to be ready for whatever the season thre at me this year you mentioned like the adjustment that it took what was the most like I guess difficult part of

Trying to get acclimated to this team understand that you’re gonna play off the ball a lot but playing off the ball does not necessarily mean that you’re not going to be a threat reie up back to Reggie Jackson Reggie’s got a lane put it up and in and us to be a

Pick and roll throughout my entire career and then coming here like I said it’s still a pick and roll just a lot of setting to pick for Yol and then a lot of also Cuts he’s the best in the world it’s like having a great quarterback you never know if

They’re going to be throwing out of the pocket out of scramble never know whether it’s a roll out like he has the ball in so many different places and he’s the most willing passer in the world that timing is of the utmost importance our spacing is of the utmost

Importance and you always have to be on page for him he really takes what the defense gives them I don’t know if even a lot of ball players understand this or fans understand it but there can be a play set and people can overcommit so much to stop it that there’s something

Already open what you gotta love about yoke is he sees it he doesn’t mind whatever criticism might come from it he just plays the right brand of basketball so he’s not always worried always try to tell young players you like sets are only there to put us in position to take

Advantage of what the defense gives us like you can draw up a play and all those things but he just sees it so quickly and um you have to understand that you have to see what he sees Joker Off to the [Applause] Races down the middle pandemonium it’s always fun like it’s always

Fun we had to play yesterday I got fou and I was like I was excited cuz I could see it earlier I’m starting to retrain my mind wake back up to see the plays as quick and in the gaps as quickly as he’s seeing him so hopefully we can be on a

Great page and it could just open the floor for everybody your averaging career high field goal percentage this year why do you think this has just been such a good year for you I think it’s been a great year just cuz the time that I’ve been

Able to put in and I think the belief that my teammates and my coaching staff in the front offices has in me and um the confidence that they’ve instilled in me I think all those things go together like I said when you’re playing with the best player in the world you’re

Understanding that a lot of people are trying to stop him um gaps are more open you’re getting easier back door Cuts getting a lot more open threes cuz the brand of basketball that we play play style that we’re playing so just putting in work to make sure you’re ready for

What you’re going to see out on the court a lot I think is um position me to have the year I’ve had so far Jacks outside shot clock at six makes the that’s going to be on every sport s of play right there Reggie Jackson with

The reach and he puts it away Reggie into the key Lay It Up and did he get it off in time Reggie turns the corner off the glass nice sh Reggie Jackson into the lane scooping up and in Reggie in the lane back lay is a beauty

Wow we had play what the night before and I remember in the locker room and it was just funny cuz a wasn’t going and Jamal just turned the corner and I remember getting like the news people aren’t going people were kind of talking about it at our lockers a little

Bit and Jamal just being Jamal coming and be like oh bro ain’t nobody going on that trip like Reggie’s going to have 30 and we’re going to win he’s like we’re we’re going to beat them knowing DJ’s going to start like he’s like all right I’m like all got Dynamic lob threat and

DJ I didn’t expect us to play as many minutes as we did but it was fun it’s always fun playing with him that connection being the older guys on the team so it was going to be a tough match up so once again Jamal Murray missing his 11 straight game Eric Gordon is

Missing his second straight game and of course Nicole leic out tonight 10 years with the LA Clippers nice bounce pass and Reggie Jackson is away got himself down to pit in with the team the love to George fourth Point Clippers up by a couple and once again to DeAndre that’s

What I live for I love playing in adversity against adversity um being tested you really find out who you are you find out the move of not only yourself but your teammates you find out how strong you are if you’re resilient Reggie over zubba got it playing shorthanded and playing well

Oh that’s eight total rebounds for DeAndre Jordan and the Nuggets lead by a couple Jord honestly we were rolling in thir until I went back and watched film I didn’t realize how well the pick and roll was going how much I was probably the usage rate while things going well

Basically the team cheers it felt like we’re scoring the whole time like oh we’re just rolling like DJ got it done somebody thre the ball not realizing it’s necessary than myself I seen the ball go through the basket sometimes not realizing I’m leing who’s has layups I’m just

Like we’re we’re trying to win and all I remember is everybody’s Spirit honestly in the fourth like going into the fourth and I’m always comfortable with guys we’re at 11 points like all we need is a chance one of the biggest plays as Julian was telling you now I remember

Come screen and throwing a left- hand pass and just screaming explicative cuz I’m like dang it I threw a bad pass hopefully you catch it and like him his confidence is catching and hitting it he’s like re as he’s catching he’s like we’re good he catches and his it Drew

Has a big shot and he’s like we’re good big bro like don’t worry about him like okay we got a chance guys the here he comes Jackson for three oh my Reggie Jackson Jordan again a bucket here would be huge Reggie Jackson by hardtin scooping up and in nuggas Burns the

Clock here Reggie throw it ahead pton Watson’s got a dunk and he puts it away and the n nuggets are heading towards one of the most improbable wins in The Last 5 Years that for myself that was something I needed that I didn’t know I needed and it was just fun

And it was exciting to really watch everybody step up for the game for you what is success you look like this year success is always to me that’s what it is it’s the process the process is always success and then um the best part of it is finding

Out where it all falls at the end I’ve had 12 successful Seasons whether they’ve been ended um with the one title last year whether they ended an injury um or they ended shortly missing the Playoffs or in the playoffs for myself uh the way I’ve approached at the

Process that I’ve gone through I can say I’ve had 12 successful seasons

The newest episode of Road to Gold features Colorado’s own, Reggie Jackson. The episode takes a look at the adjustments he took since signing with the team last year, his offseason, and what it took to be an NBA champion.

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