LAS VEGAS -- Even with the NBA draft in the rearview mirror, Emmanuel Mudiay can’t quite escape the shadow of top picks Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell.
Mudiay, the No. 7 pick of the Denver Nuggets in June’s draft, made his NBA debut Friday night at the Las Vegas Summer League. But while Towns and Russell headlined the first day of games as the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves played to a packed house inside UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center, Mudiay found a much sparser gathering at the adjoining Cox Pavillon.
The 6-foot-5 Mudiay had 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting with four assists, five rebounds, two turnovers and a highlight-worthy block in which he hustled from the top of the circle to deny Mike Moser’s layup attempt as part of the Nuggets' 86-71 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Asked about the main event featuring the draft's top two picks down the hall -- and whether his draft slot might motivate him -- Mudiay downplayed the idea of being on a side-stage.
"I'm not worried about [Towns and Russell],” Mudiay said. “When I get to play them, that’s when I’ll be thinking about them, that’s when I’ll worry about it. But I’m just going to play within myself, do what I gotta do. The rest will take care of itself.”
The 19-year-old Mudiay, a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, spent a season in China instead of at SMU, where he committed to coming out of high school. Despite playing in only a limited number of games, he was projected as a potential top pick in June’s draft before ultimately landing in Denver.
While eager to engage in 5-on-5 hoops again -- having not seen honest-to-goodness competitive game action since his last tilt overseas in March -- Mudiay doesn’t buy into the notion that he remains an international man of mystery.
"The mystery thing, to me, that’s out the window,” Mudiay said. “[Observers] saw me play in high school enough. I’m not a cocky guy, but I was top-two or top-one in the nation coming out of high school. I’m just going to play basketball, to be honest with you.”
Mudiay looked like a player who got a small taste of pro hoops last season. He confidently ran Denver’s offense, rarely panicked when the Hawks sent double-teams his way, and frequently attacked the basket.
There was one third-quarter sequence in which Mudiay carried the ball over half court in transition, noted the Atlanta defense wasn’t set, then exploded into the lane, where he barreled through Stephen Holt before completing an and-1 layup.
Mudiay struggled with his shot, especially from beyond the arc, but had some nice moments looking for his own offense. He scored the game’s first points on a strong drive to the rim, drilled an elbow jumper a short time later, and hit a baseline fadeaway after cutting hard through the lane to get the ball back.
Mudiay got the ball on the wing on a floor reversal late in the second quarter, and poor Hawks big man Edy Tavares could only watch as the rookie blew past him on the baseline for an easy finish at the rim.
"I thought Emmanuel was great,” said Denver assistant coach Micah Nori, who is leading the Nuggets’ summer squad. "I know that he’s probably not happy going 5-for-15 and 0-for-4 from the 3, but I thought that he drew some fouls. It’s obvious that he’s a big, strong kid -- he can go where he wants to go.
"And I know that he only had four assists, which I think is reflected in the fact that we were 2-for-17 from the 3. But the one thing is that guys are going to love to play with him because he will push the basketball. He’s very unselfish. And he’s a very willing passer as far as throwing it ahead. He may have a good shot, but he’s very willing to give it up for a great shot.”
Mudiay won’t lose sleep over the missed shots. And he thinks his teammates will knock down more of their own as they get comfortable with each other.
After logging 25 minutes of action over the first three quarters, Mudiay was given the option of returning for part of the final frame. Admitting he’s still working his body into game shape and with a win in hand, he elected to rest. He’s hopeful there’s a long stretch of summer games ahead for the Nuggets.
"There’s a lot more that I could have done today, but my body just wouldn’t allow me to do certain things,” Mudiay said. "The main focus is just winning games, that’s what we wanted to do. And that’s my goal: to win championships. Even though it’s summer league, it’s new players and you don’t know who is going to be on the team, but at the end of the day we have that same goal -- and that’s to win.”
Asked what we could expect from Mudiay moving forward, he shot back, "You can expect more wins -- that’s the main focus.”
Sporting a pair of 2015 draft suite flip-flops as he emerged from the locker room Friday, Mudiay admitted his head is still spinning from the ramp to the draft and now into summer league. But he’s not complaining.
"It’s a blessing, man,” he said. "It’s definitely a blessing to be out here just playing basketball again. The first game is always the one you just want to get out of your system."
Game 2? The Nuggets are back in action on Sunday and, while Mudiay might not need any motivation from his draft class, it’ll be against a Sacramento Kings team that drafted Willie Cauley-Stein one spot ahead of him.
It’s another chance to step a bit further into the spotlight.