One of the things Nikola Jokic talked about a lot during the Denver Nuggets' championship run was how much it meant to him to help his veteran teammates get rings. That Nuggets team had a lot of important veterans who had been on a lot of good teams, but never a championship team, which made their title run even more special.
One of these players was veteran guard Ish Smith, who finally won a championship last year after playing for 12 different teams. Now with the Charlotte Hornets, Smith received his ring from the Nuggets on Monday when the two teams faced off, and it was an incredible moment:
Moments like these are always special, because while Smith did not play a lot last year, he was still a very important locker room presence. These types of players are often under-appreciated, but any NBA star will speak on the importance of good vets in the locker room, and this Denver team had a lot of them.
While the Nuggets lost some of their vets over the summer, like Smith and Jeff Green, the experience gained during that championship run by some of the younger players has helped them grow in their leadership ability. This is important for any team, but especially one that wants to repeat as champions the way Denver does this year.
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