Fresh off his 16 points, 11 assists double-double last night against the Milwaukee Bucks, Emmanuel Mudiay got some high praise from a future Hall-of-Fame point guard.
The Denver Nuggets rookie struggled to start the season putting up a game of 11 turnovers in his NBA debut but since then, his turnover numbers have dramatically dropped and his play has improved. Last night in the Nuggets last second win over the Bucks, Mudiay had a season-low one turnover in a season-high 35 minutes played.
His play against the Bucks caught the eye of one person in particular. Bucks head coach Jason Kidd.
Following from Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post.
“At 19 years old, he’s very talented,” Kidd said. “He’s running the team, he’s not afraid to take a big shot. Some people have said that he can’t shoot, but he finds a way to put the ball in the basket. I think he enjoys to play the game, and I think for me, watching the tape on him is exciting. To see a 19-year old being able to run a team with his poise, and then also his skills. He has skills at the age of 19.”
“But at that age, you are willing to give the ball, and I think he’s doing a really good job,” he said. “They are a young team, he’s asked to do a lot, and I think he’s standing up. He wants to be in that position, and it’s hard to say at 19-years old there are a lot of guys that can handle that.”
Asked if Mudiay compares favorably to him when he first broke into the NBA back in 1994, Kidd smiled again.
“He’ll be better,” Kidd said. “He’s better already. Being able to run an NBA team at 19 is not easy. You look at some of the greats — Magic (Johnson) was able to do it. And you’re looking at this kid Mudiay, who has the opportunity to do something special. So, I would encourage him to be better than me, and I think he will be at the end of the day.”
“When you get a Hall of Famer talking to you like that, that’s huge,” Mudiay said. “And just take all of the advice you can get.”
For Kidd to say that about Mudiay is something important to note. Mudiay, much like Kidd in his rookie year, is struggling to shoot to start his career and as Kidd found out, that can be fixed.
Mudiay is already a great passer and playmaker who can finish at the basket and connect with his playmaking teammates on the Nuggets. With Mudiay dropping his turnover number and increasing his assists, that could be a good trend in the right direction. A direction that Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott didn’t believe Mudiay would be heading when he first saw the talented guard workout for the Lakers.
