Arron Afflalo on the Nuggets: ‘I Believe This is a Championship Team’

The Denver Nuggets re-acquired Arron Afflalo on draft day, and the seven-year veteran thinks his second tour in the Mile High City represents a chance to compete for an NBA title. Afflalo says the Nuggets just need the right mix of coaching and thinking. Per Basketball Insiders:

“Being traded for me is a positive experience,” Afflalo said. “I really enjoyed my time in Orlando. Rob [Hennigan], Scott [Perry], Coach [Jacque Vaughn], the assistants and all of my teammates really helped me develop as a player and as a person over the past two seasons so I’m very thankful for my opportunity there. I’m happy to be back in Denver, I got some very familiar teammates. I believe this is a championship team under the right mindset and coaching.”

 

Afflalo arrived in Orlando during a difficult time for any player. He was coming off of three consecutive trips to the postseason with the Nuggets and went to a team that was a few seasons away from playoff expectations. Afflalo even admitted it was a difficult time for him. He missed five games with an ankle injury late last season and said he came back after those five games slower than normal with the Magic being out of the playoff race. He said at the time that he was learning how to deal with that, but he remained professional during his time in Orlando. The idea of going back to the postseason has Afflalo excited about the upcoming season.

 

”It feels good because at the end of the day that’s why you play the game,” Afflalo said. “You play the game to win it all. Individually you want to improve as a player and all of us it’s a job, it’s a career and that’s very important but it’s a team sport and you want to play for a championship and there’s nothing else to say.”