Josh Giddey | Nuggets | Dec. 22, 2021
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00:00 this for you guys every night, but how big of a factor that play in tonight's game?
00:03 It was big tonight. We knew we knew that coverage is coming in and we thought,
00:07 you know, their weak part of their defense was, you know, in the paint and they don't have a lot
00:11 of, you know, rim protectors like other teams do. So we tried to exploit that tonight and I think we
00:15 did a good job. Shea did a good job playing out of pick a role, getting the, you know, the roller
00:18 and then Fave hit a lot of, you know, little mid-rangers touch shots. We were good out of,
00:23 you know, when Fave caught it making the next pass. So I think when we got the ball into the
00:26 middle of the key, that's when, you know, they were vulnerable and I think we took advantage of
00:31 that tonight. This is a different type of win for you guys holding on to a big lead for the majority
00:36 of the night. Just what's that experience like for you guys as you continue to build onto these?
00:40 It was good. I mean, it's, we've obviously spoke about not starting off slow and, you know,
00:43 trailing from behind all game and having to wait until the third, fourth to make that late push
00:47 and get back in front. But tonight we came out strong out the gates. We kind of led from the
00:52 front hallway. We controlled the pace. I think we set the tone early on and that was good.
00:57 Step in the right direction for us in terms of coming out the gates early and ready to play.
01:01 Nick Gallo, KC Thunder.com. I want to ask you about Shea's night, particularly his first half.
01:09 He was nine of 13 in the first half, just kind of got anything you wanted in the lane,
01:13 despite them having long, big wing defenders on him.
01:18 Yeah. I mean, it doesn't really phase him who guards him. He knows he's going to get that
01:22 attention. They were trying different coverages at him. They were trying to trap, trying to play
01:25 in a drop, but nothing was really working. He was in a groove. He was in tough shots. He was
01:30 getting wherever he wanted on the floor. And when he's in that kind of mindset, he's a tough player
01:34 to stop. And, you know, when they're trying to guide him one-on-one, there's not a lot of guys
01:38 in his league that can stay in front of him. And, you know, he makes tough shots. And I mean,
01:44 at times you give credit to him because that's the type of player he is. But at the time,
01:48 the defense, you kind of just got to nod your head and tip your hat to a player like that,
01:51 who makes tough shots over you. And that's what he does. And he was, you know, big for us all night.
01:55 Yeah. Cliff Brun, Associated Press. You know, you guys were, for a while, they're on quite a
02:04 losing streak. You had the big blowout loss. You're five and three since then. You got three good
02:08 wins in a row, the last two against pretty good teams. Where is your confidence right now? And
02:13 what did you do to get back to this point? Yeah, it's our confidence is always high. I mean,
02:18 we lost, I think, seven or eight in a row. And it would have been easy to go into our show,
02:21 make excuses. We're a young team, blah, blah, blah. But I think credit to our guys after that
02:27 Memphis game, you know, where we set a record for the biggest loss. And I think guys took that
02:31 personally. We wanted to come out and prove a point that that's not the team we are. And we
02:34 didn't want to be remembered for that. And I think since then, we've come out with, you know, an edge
02:38 to chip on our shoulders to prove to teams that when you come into our building or we're coming
02:42 into you, it's not going to be an easy game. And I think teams are kind of understanding that now.
02:47 And hopefully that's a message to ascend it. Joe Masato, the Oklahoman. Josh, Darius seems to have,
02:53 you know, taken to coming off the bench really well these last few games,
02:57 giving you guys a spark there. What have you seen from him? He's been awesome. You know,
03:01 in his role off the bench, he provides that spark, him and K. Rich. But, you know, for Baze,
03:06 you know, as I said the other night, it would have been easy for him to, you know,
03:11 see it as a negative as him going to the bench. But he's flourishing that role. He's been awesome
03:15 for us, I think. You know, a lot of these, you know, past three games have been on Baze's shoulders.
03:20 And the energy he brings for us on both ends, he guards, you know, usually the best player on the
03:24 floor with that second unit. So the work he does on the defensive end for us is huge. And offensively,
03:29 he's been playing really well. Andrew Schleich to The Athletic. Josh, you've been scoring in a
03:35 variety of ways over the past three games. I'm just curious, like, what feels most comfortable
03:39 offensively as far as scoring the basketball? And then where do you feel like you need more work?
03:44 Yeah, I mean, just trying to read with the defense, you know, Memphis, they were going
03:48 under everything. So trying to punish that tonight, they were in a drop. So just, you know,
03:52 I'm going to see different coverages and trying to adjust the way I play to that. But, you know,
03:56 there's a lot of things I need to, you know, work on my shooting, work on finishing, especially
04:00 around that mid-range, because that's a part of the game that teams are kind of forcing you to
04:04 shoot. So, you know, if you can't make those shots, it's going to be a long night. So, you know,
04:07 playing in that mid-range area a little bit more, finishing at the ring against big bodies. So a lot
04:11 of my - not a lot of game I still got to work on. Is, like, was working on your shot more something
04:15 you do in the offseason as far as, like, reworking your shot? Or is that something you feel like you
04:19 can do in season? I mean, mechanically, it's like offseason is more the time for that. But during
04:24 the year, it's just a lot of reps. I'm in the gym every day with Mike Wilks, one of our assistants.
04:29 So he's been doing a great job with me. A big part of it is just confidence. You know, just keep
04:34 shooting, keep trusting yourself. And, you know, confidence has never been a problem for me.
04:38 Hey, Josh. First of all, third straight win for you guys. How big of a confidence booster is this?
04:52 And what is the main thing that you would like to maintain on your game after that win?
04:56 Yeah, it's a big confidence boost. I mean, three in a row. And, you know, as I said earlier,
05:02 against two pretty good teams in Memphis and Denver. So, yeah, I think sending that message
05:11 that, you know, when you come into our building, it's never going to be easy. And I think we're
05:15 doing that now. Teams are starting to take notice and then realize that. So hopefully we can, you
05:19 know, moving forward, we can maintain this confidence and go to Phoenix tomorrow night,
05:23 who's one of the best teams in the league, and continue on this momentum and hopefully get a win
05:27 -Thank you, coach. -Thanks, guys.