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Duke Point Guard Gets A Good, Long Look From New Nuggets Coach Mike Malone

DENVER (CBS4) - The Denver Nuggets had another set of eyes watching workouts at the Pepsi Center on Monday -- new head coach Michael Malone.

On the practice court at the Pepsi Center Malone and the Nuggets staff got a good long look at former Duke point guard Tyus jones.

Tyus Jones
Tyus Jones (credit: CBS)

Jones was voted the Most Outstanding Player during Duke's run to the national championship. He might not be good enough for the Nuggets to take him with the seventh pick, but that's why they hold workouts.

"Something I can hang my hat on is I'm a winner. I'm a winner, and I think as a point guard that's what you need to be," Jones said. "That's what you're remembered for … when you're looking at point guards you look at if they're a winner or not, and I think that's something that I hang my hat on for sure -- not stats, not points or anything like that -- just being unselfish, a team-first guy, and winning."

The next few days are critical for the Nuggets as the NBA draft is Thursday night and they have to figure out what they're going to do with their pick. Jones was a big reason Duke won the national championship and Malone was keeping a close eye on him at the workout.

"It's a little different. Some guys can show a lot more in workouts. I would say my game is better evaluated in a game-like system," Jones said. "But you've just got to make the most of it, so I'm just trying to knock down a shot and show I'm a consistent shooter, show change of pace, communicate, different things like that that you want to show that you can do from a point guard standpoint."

Other big names the Nuggets have seen work out are Jones' former teammate Justise Winslow and Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein.

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