Michael Malone and Tim Connelly talk MPJ, Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic and Nuggets' upcoming season

Nuggets Ink

In the first Nuggets Ink podcast of the 2021-22 season, head coach Michael Malone and team president Tim Connelly join beat writer Mike Singer and columnist Mark Kiszla for a discussion before the start of training camp. Among the topics discussed: + Where are things at with Michael Porter Jr.'s potential contract extension? Is the team optimistic something can get worked out prior to the season? How has the young forward developed within the Nuggets' team-first culture? How has Malone's relationship with Porter grown through the years? + How is rehab going for Jamal Murray? Is the team hopeful he will be able to see the floor by the end of the season? What was the scene like in the locker room in the immediate aftermath of Murray's season-ending ACL injury last spring? + What more can be asked of Nikola Jokic after he just submitted the first NBA MVP season in franchise history? What has his mindset been during this offseason? Time to relax or push even harder? + How important was it to the team to lock up Aaron Gordon to a long-term contract? What did he show Malone and Connelly during his brief time in Denver last spring that convinced them he was an important piece of the Nuggets' championship future? + What do Malone and Connelly see as the formula to the team's unprecedented success during the past three seasons? How much of that can be attributed to luck? And how much is it about the franchise's strong organizational structure? + During a live question-and-answer session, one audience member asks: What does Bol Bol have to do to get on the floor more consistently.