|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NBA DRAFTJune 25, 2015Emmanuel MudiyaiBROOKLYN, NEW YORK EMMANUEL MUDIAY: Well, I'm glad to be a part of Denver's organizations, man. I definitely thank God for the opportunity, and I just can't really wait to get there. I've never been to Denver so I'm excited about going over there right now. Q. Landing in Denver at 7, but there were talks maybe 2, maybe 4. To kind of slide a little bit but to land where you landed, what were the emotions like and how do you feel? EMMANUEL MUDIAY: They're definitely up and down. You just don't know, especially after Karl got picked, nobody really knew where they was going. But we're definitely excited that I got picked to Denver. 7 is a great number. That's my favorite number, so I'm excited that I'm going to be a part of the organization. Q. Obviously some things out of your control, some things your choice, going to China this year instead of playing at SMU. How do you feel that impacted your draft stock? EMMANUEL MUDIAY: I don't think it impacted, I just think maybe when I got hurt. You could have got hurt anywhere, so when I got hurt I think that's what made the stock go down, I guess you want to say. But I'm in the NBA, I made it in, so it starts right now. Everybody that got drafted, we've still got a lot to prove. Q. Since you're kind of an unknown commodity, what do you feel like you're going to bring to the NBA and to the Denver Nuggets? EMMANUEL MUDIAY: I just want to win as many championships as I can win. The league is about winning. When you win, everything else takes care of itself. What I can bring is just my competitive spirit and try to bring it both sides of the floor, defense and offense. Q. A little bit about Denver, sister city in China is Kunming. What are you going to try to do to get Denver over there to play some preseason games? EMMANUEL MUDIAY: That's out of my control. I think that's the team's decision. But if they want to go play in China, I would love to go back over there and play. I've got a great fan base over there, and regardless if they go back or not, I'm going to go back myself just to show my appreciation and the love that they showed me. Q. One of the guys you played with over in China, Will Bynum, I'm curious if you could tell me what you learned from him as a guard taking a backseat role and then obviously playing alongside him in the playoffs. What did he tell you the days you were on the bench? EMMANUEL MUDIAY: He helped me a lot. He told me how to carry yourself when things aren't going your way and when things are going your way. It's not an easy league. Things go up and down, but you've just got to keep a positive mindset, keep working hard and just show a great attitude. That's really what he taught me. Q. And keep good family around you. EMMANUEL MUDIAY: That too. Q. What do you know about the Denver Nuggets' roster and the guys you'll be playing with there? EMMANUEL MUDIAY: I know Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson. That's the two main people that all of us know. Those are the two guys that really stand out on the team. That's what I know about them so far. I can just learn as much as I can from Ty Lawson. He's been there a while, so I'm just going to try to get as much advice as I can. Q. What do you need to improve on to gel with Ty Lawson in the backcourt? EMMANUEL MUDIAY: Probably just be more of a consistent shooter. I'm confident in my shot, but it wouldn't hurt‑‑ anybody would want to shoot like Steph Curry. So just keep working on my shot, keep being consistent. Q. Going to college, playing in the Tournament, that's an experience, but playing in a different country, language barrier, cultural barrier, do you feel like that gives you a leg up on the mental game? EMMANUEL MUDIAY: Definitely. You're out there playing with grown men. You're out there playing with a shot clock and basically NBA rules. That's really what it is. The only thing is the three‑second rule probably is the only thing that's different about the China League, CBA League. But as far as playing with grown men, the physicality over there is ridiculous; it's like playoff basketball. So that's one thing that really helped me, and I feel like I do have an advantage coming in and playing a professional type of basketball thing already. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|