Name: Why Facundo Campazzo left Spain for the Nuggets: "This kid just doesn't belong here"
Brand: denverpost.com
SKU: denverpost-com-202
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Why Facundo Campazzo left Spain for the Nuggets: "This kid just doesn't belong here"

preview

By | | The Denver PostThe Nuggets value playmaking, no matter the shape or size it comes in.So is it any wonder the same organization that staked its future to a selfless, ground-bound center would also be attracted to Facundo Campazzo?For years, the 5-foot-11 firecracker dissected defenses for Real Madrid and the Argentinian national team, awing onlookers with his devilish passes and inspired play. The Nuggets were among those captivated.“Truth be told, Facu was not really a hidden gem,” said Rafal Juc, the Nuggets’ international scout. “He was arguably a top-five European player for half a decade or so. So basically, he’s been on our radar for a while.”Juc had been tracking Campazzo since he began working for the Nuggets in 2013. He wasn’t alone. Denver’s scouting roots, starting with president Tim Connelly, run deep into Europe. Other members of the front office were aware of Campazzo, known for pouring every ounce of energy he had into each possession.But the problem was, the pass-first point guard was coveted by a handful of NBA teams and held a hefty buyout with his club team. To lure him stateside, the Nuggets needed something else.***Heading into the 2016-’17 season, current Nuggets scout Marty Pocius knew he was nearing the end of his decorated international playing career, which spanned top teams in Lithuania (BC Zalgiris), Turkey (Galatasaray SK) and Spain (Real Madrid). Before joining Murcia, also in Liga ACB, Pocius had already heard about Campazzo through the basketball grapevine.Buried on the depth chart with Real Madrid, Campazzo was on loan to Murcia where he was expected to get significant playing time and develop his preternatural feel for the game.“I just came in, first couple preseason games I was like, ‘Holy crap, this dude is amazing,’” Pocius said.Pocius vividly remembers one practice where he made a hard cut and momentarily turned his back to the play. Campazzo rifled one of his patented rocket passes where he expected his teammate’s hands to be.“He nearly broke my nose,” Pocius said.Throughout their lone season together, Pocius operated as a mentor for Campazzo. When Campazzo racked up technical fouls, it was Pocius who calmed him down. Still, at 25, Campazzo was already the engine of the team. He led Murcia in points (13.2) and assists (6.7) playing over 30 minutes per game – far more than he’d seen with his former club.“Every day in practice I’d be either playing with him, against him or let’s say sitting on the sidelines just looking at this dude like, ‘This kid just doesn’t belong here,’” Pocius said. “’That’s not his level.’”And every day of practice, Pocius found himself turning to anybody who’d listen.“You would see some wild plays and you’re like, ‘Holy crap, how does he see that?’” he said.It wasn’t long after Pocius’ playing career was over that he landed a job as a scout in Denver. One of his first reports was on Campazzo.“I’ve played with him and I feel like he belongs on this level,” Pocius wrote. “This guy’s good. He can be in the NBA.”***Juc estimated he’d seen Campazzo play at least 100 times in person, a huge sample size when assessing a player’s chances at sticking in the NBA.“It must be noted he’s the shortest NBA player to sign a contract as an undrafted player without college experience,” Juc said. He had to be sure.He saw him overachieve in the EuroLeague, the Olympics, the World Cup. And despite his size, there was a level of comfort because he won everywhere he went.“Some may say that he doesn’t really pass the eye test, but someone told me, winners come in different shapes and forms, and I think there is no better example than Facu,” Juc said. “Essentially what he does is he just wins basketball games.“Obviously in NBA, the size matters,” Juc said. “Defensively it does. When you get close to the basket, foes can shoot over him, but it’s so damn hard to get by him because he’s long, he’s active, he’s so energized. In seeing him play against the best athletes in the world at World Cup, EuroLeague level, Olympics … I was never really concerned about his size, and lack of it.”The Nuggets considered former Mavericks pest and 14-year NBA veteran J.J. Barea an adequate comparison. As every member of the front office saw Campazzo play live, the idea of him coming stateside – hatched a few years ago – became more realistic.Last summer, the Nuggets became even more bullish on Campazzo’s NBA credentials. In the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup against Serbia, Campazzo outplayed Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic. His 18-point, 12-assist, six-rebound performance ousted Serbia, which had been a favorite entering the tournament. One pass in particular, a swift behind-the-back needle from beyond the 3-point line, radiated the possibilities.“His highlight tape might be arguably the best highlight tape in the world,” Juc said. “… I think that one pass was like, ‘OK, we have a guy who is 5-foot-11 but the way he thinks about the game, the way he’s able to process things, is basically the same way as Joker.’ So we thought ‘OK, those two might click.’”In terms of makeup, Juc called Campazzo one of his easiest projects.“It’s funny because you do all this background, and I feel like I’ve known Facu for many years but actually I haven’t spoken to him yet,” Juc said. “I know so many people in his environment. I remember when we drafted Juancho (Hernangomez). I approached him and I introduced myself and he said, ‘You don’t really have to introduce yourself because you know all my friends, my teachers, my coaches, everybody.’”The Nuggets also had Pocius to vouch for Campazzo’s competitive makeup and commitment.“You can look at guys like (Milos) Teodosic, who’s maybe as good of a passer, but they just have a totally different makeup,” he said. “This kid is tough as (crap), he’s a super high-level competitor, he doesn’t like to lose.”During their time together, Pocius said Campazzo was a mainstay in the weight room, always squatting or sprinting or stretching to ensure his athletic edge. It was also during that time that Campazzo made a commitment to a gluten-free, sugar-free diet, which he maintains today.Pocius nurtured the relationship. They texted after EuroLeague games, and Pocius made a point to watch Real Madrid whenever he traveled to Europe, with dinner, as friends, to follow. Pocius told Campazzo about the NBA, about assistant coach Jordi Fernandez from Spain, about the winning culture that had been established in Denver.“I always kept in the back of my mind there’s still a chance that he’s going to come over one day,” Pocius said.***Campazzo had other NBA suitors. He had bigger roles awaiting him stateside, if he wanted them. But coming off their Western Conference Finals run, a baked-in appreciation for European playmakers and Pocius, Denver liked its chances.According to league sources, Campazzo made a significant financial commitment to aid his buyout from Real Madrid. From Denver’s perspective, it only showed how steadfast he was. The Nuggets eventually agreed to a two-year deal worth $6 million for Campazzo, a league source told The Post.“Any other teams, he could’ve easily taken probably bigger money, much bigger role on a team that would not be in the playoffs,” Pocius said. “I think for him the most important thing was to be in a winning culture and have a chance to win.”Campazzo had money, status, role and comfort as a leading facilitator in Madrid. With the Nuggets, despite coach Michael Malone’s affinity for him, he’ll need to scrap for whatever minutes he gets.Pocius has been Campazzo’s lifeline. After Pocius picked him up from DIA, he helped him with everything from settling into his new house, to installing TV and internet, teaching him to order food, to easing his transition into training camp.“He had a lot of questions about dynamics of the team, what to expect, the referees, the different rules, even the English language,” Pocius said. Their WhatsApp chain is littered with grammatical questions.Even heading into training camp, Campazzo peppered him about the established depth chart in the backcourt, with mainstays Jamal Murray and Monte Morris.“These are the starters,” Pocius told Campazzo. “Don’t try to take starters’ spots, but get as close as you can to the team and be part of the team. See what you can bring, whether it’s defense, energy …”Early returns are positive. Murray affectionately deemed him “Spider Man” for the dozens of angles he’s discovered in passing lanes. Jokic raved about his winning habits and Will Barton cited him as a training camp standout.Most importantly, he’s made a believer of Malone.“I don’t see how you cannot fall in love with a young guy like Facu,” Malone said at the start of camp. “He’s small in stature, but you can’t judge him by that. You judge him by his heart.”We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. As of June 15, 2022, comments on are powered by Viafoura, and you may need to log in again to begin commenting. Read more about our new commenting system . If you need help or are having issues with your commenting account, please email us atSign up for Newsletters and AlertsFollow UsMost PopularClose

By | | The Denver PostThe Nuggets value playmaking, no matter the shape or size it comes in.So is it any wonder the same organization that staked its future to a selfless, ground-bound center would also be attracted to Facundo Campazzo?For years, the 5-foot-11 firecracker dissected defenses for Real Madrid and the Argentinian national team, awing onlookers with his devilish passes and inspired play. The Nuggets were among those captivated.“Truth be told, Facu was not really a hidden gem,” said Rafal Juc, the Nuggets’ international scout. “He was arguably a top-five European player for half...

Why Facundo Campazzo left Spain for the Nuggets: "This kid just doesn't belong here"

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS