Bruce Brown on Nuggets reunion, league being enamored with Nikola Jokić and why he’s indifferent on Defensive awards (EXCLUSIVE)

As Bruce Brown proudly wore a Denver Nuggets jersey once again, teammate Christian Braun approached the cameraman with specific instructions.

“Make sure you get that!” Braun told the cameraman. The reasoning: this represented a moment worth capturing both to preview the Nuggets’ 2025-26 season and for potential footage of an NBA championship run.

After becoming a key role player on the Nuggets’ 2023 NBA title team for his defensive versatility, Brown signed with the Indiana Pacers amid the Nuggets’ inability to exceed Indiana’s more lucrative offer because of salary cap restrictions. Brown was then unexpectedly traded to Toronto ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. Amid the Raptors’ rebuilding project, they then dealt Brown to New Orleans before the 2025 trade deadline.

So after rejoining the Nuggets as a free agent last summer, Brown said he relished putting on their jersey once again. He said he felt at “home” as he reunited both with familiar and new teammates at University of California San Diego, a place he called a “special gym” because the Nuggets also hosted training camp there before winning the 2023 NBA title.

“We all know what Bruce is. He shows up with the right mindset,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “He’s a major reason why we won a championship.”

No doubt, Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and roster depth also played a big factor. But it’s not a coincidence that the Nuggets struggled to defend their NBA title amid two consecutive second-round playoff exits following Brown’s departure.

“Bruce is such a glue guy. So to have another glue guy out there on the floor is refreshing because you don’t have to do everything,” Gordon said. “You don’t have to patch everything together. Bruce is doing the little things. Bruce is doing some of the dirty work. He does everything. He does everything. There’s not one thing that Bruce doesn’t do on the basketball floor.”

Following the Nuggets’ third training camp practice, Brown spoke to Sportskeeda about reuniting with the Nuggets and their keys to becoming a more physical team. Brown also explains why he considers Jokić to be the NBA’s best player and why he feels indifferent on not making an All-Defensive team yet.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

What have been the highlights of camp so far?

Brown: “It’s been super competitive. We have a really deep team. So everyone has been getting after it. We had a team dinner, and I think we’ll have another team dinner. So we’ve been around each other a lot.”

What have the pinch-me moments been like for you so far now that you’re back?

Brown: “Putting the Nuggets jersey back on, seeing people that I got super close with, especially Dan [Shimensky, the Nuggets’ head athletic trainer]. Editor’s note: While wrapping Brown’s knees with ice bags, Dan added, “he’s not lying!”

Brown: “Yeah, I’m seeing everybody that I got super close with while I was here.”

Yeah, CB told me that you’ve always been a Nugget even when you left.

Brown: “CB is my guy. We got super close. Obviously, we won a championship. But it wasn’t even the championship part. The locker room and the chemistry was all there when I was here. So I’m happy to be back and be around the guys. Everybody is being included. Everybody is being chill and welcoming and being on the same page about everything. Everybody wants to win. Everybody is sacrificing something. So it’s just about being on the same page.”

How do you lay that foundation this season?

Brown: “You don’t. It’s just about the culture that you walk into that the Nuggets have built in the locker room with the players. And now the coaches. I just think it’s something that you walk into and you just embrace it.”

Aaron called you the ‘ultimate glue guy’ and said that you literally can do everything well. What goes into that?

Brown: “Whatever the team needs me to do, I’ll do. If they need me to play backup one or if they need me to play at the 3, whatever they need me to do, I’ll do it. My pride is put aside. I’ve played every position in the league. So whatever it takes to win, I’ll do it. When you go to a team with a bunch of superstars, that plays a role. I’m just trying to figure out how to get myself on the floor and contribute. That has been the way I’ve contributed, and it’s worked.”

Adelman has talked about the need for the team to be able to be more physical so you’re all ready for the playoffs. What do you all need to do to prepare for that?

Brown: “I think it’s about playing off each other and picking up full court. The Thunder pick up full court. Toronto, which we play on Monday, picks up full court. It’s about being aggressive. We’ll try to play exactly how we do in the playoffs with how we want to play so that everything becomes a lot simpler when the game starts. It goes back to our physicality on defense and our talking. It’s all about our defense. Our offense will take care of itself. But our defense is our big thing that we should figure out.”

What have you done to master playing with physicality?

Brown: “It’s just your reputation in the league. If you start off physical your rookie year, they call it on you during your rookie year. But then when they see you as you get older and see how you play, they stop calling it a little bit. I think it goes year by year.”

Jokić has obviously been an MVP already. But after both playing with him and against him, what makes him the best out of the best?

Brown: “He just does everything perfect. He makes the right read every single time. He makes the right play every single time. People love to play with Nikola. There is a reason. He shares the ball. He doesn’t want to shoot the ball all the time. He wants to get his players involved. He’ll take care of what he needs to take care of when it’s his time and he feels like he needs to. But everybody loves playing with him. You’ve never heard a guy ever say, ‘I hated playing with him.’”

He said he’s going to try to become more vocal as a leader. How have you seen that so far?

Brown: “Even when I was here, he was very vocal. He especially was in the playoffs when he thinks he’s seeing things that needed to be done. He’s super smart. So you can learn from him when he’s out there on the floor. He sees things happen before they happen. He’s the most intelligent guy on the floor.”

What did Jamal do to bring guys together this summer?

Brown: “Jamal grew a lot with his voice. He’s talking a lot more and being involved with a lot of things. He’s our second-best player on the team. So everybody trusts him. He’s been through it. I’ve seen him come back from injury and win a championship and go crazy. He has everybody’s best interest. So we obviously listen to him and follow him. He has a confidence level in his body to come back from knee injury. Last year, I had a knee injury and I didn’t have the confidence right away. He had it right away. And he’s playing at the highest level. He should’ve been an All-Star last year. Hopefully this year, he is one.”

Beyond wanting to win an NBA title again, what goals do you have for yourself?

Brown: “I just want to stay healthy, honestly. I only played 42 games last year. So it’s about being healthy and being available and getting in the best shape I can.”

What about defensive team honors?

Brown: “I thought I played really good defense last time that I was here. I thought I played really good defense my rookie year, too. Would I love to be on a defensive team? Yeah. But will I think I’ll ever be on one? No. I think it’s more of a political thing. People have to watch you play and vote for you. I don’t think that I have that buzz. But I don’t really care about all of that.”

How is it political?

Brown: “Maybe not political. But now people post stuff about them getting stops. I think when you’re labeled a defender in the league and people don’t call you up, it means you’re respected. But people don’t call me up much.”

What do you think you do well that goes underappreciated?

Brown: “I’m a very good on-ball defender. I can guard anyone. I can defend in the pick-and-roll. Off-ball defense, I can work on that a little more. But I think I’m really good defender. And I think that people around the league would accept that I’m really good defender. So I don’t really care about the defensive teams. I think there were two years that I could’ve been on it, and I didn’t even sniff a second team.”

Generally, a coach told me a few years ago that often high-risk, high-award defenders and ‘steal guys’ tend to get more attention over the defenders that make the right play, avoid making mistakes and helps the team defense. Is that what you’re referencing?

Brown: “Yeah.”

What do you to make the right play, elevate your teammates and defend aggressively without taking bad risks?

Brown: “Playing in that system. You have to be smart when you take a risk. When you’re going for a steal, you have to make sure that you can get the steal. You can’t put your teammates in jeopardy.”

What have been your favorite defensive matchups?

Brown: “People who challenge me. I love guarding the best offensive players. Khris Middleton, I’ve had a lot of battles with him. I love guarding him. I guarded him in the playoffs. D-Book [Devin Booker] as well. Every guy that has challenged me to be a better defender, I love guarding those guys.”

How did Middleton and Book challenge you?

Brown: “They’re super physical, especially Book. He gets to his spots and raises up. It’s hard not to foul him on his jump shot. Khris is super smart with his pump fakes. They are two different scorers, but they score around the same area. They are big guys to learn from.”

Who are your defensive influences, and what did they teach you?

Brown: “I didn’t have an influence, but one person that talked to me about it when I was in college was Marcus Smart. He talked about being physical. He talked about knowing personnel and knowing exactly what they want to do at certain times and knowing their go-to moves. It’s little stuff like that. I think that helps you a lot at the end of the game.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.