Alpha Diallo arrives in Denver as 29-year-old NBA rookie fresh off being EuroLeague's top defender

DENVER (AP) — By NBA standards, Nuggets forward Alpha Diallo is a rookie this season at 29 years old.

By Nikola Jokic's standards, though, far from it.

“No. He's not,” the big man said as he good-naturedly refuted his new teammate's rookie status.

To him, Diallo's a game-tested veteran that Denver added after he spent the last several seasons in Europe honing his lockdown defensive skills. Diallo is nearly 10 years older than rookie counterparts AJ Dybantsa (Washington) and Darryn Peterson (Utah).

But Diallo's hoping to make just as big of an impact on the floor — in his own tenacious way, of course.

"Whoever I'm assigned to guard at that time, if they don’t know who I am, hopefully they’ll find out real soon," Diallo said ahead of the Nuggets' season opener Thursday night at Oklahoma City.

The path for Diallo was a little more winding than your typical NBA rookie. An All-Big East second-teamer for Providence, the 6-foot-7 Diallo went undrafted in 2020. So, he worked on his craft all around Europe.

He played the last five seasons with AS Monaco, earning the EuroLeague's best defender award last season. He's looking forward to testing his skills against the best of the best, maybe even Thursday should he be assigned to cover two-time NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander .

Because defense, Diallo explained, translates, no matter the level.

“Just continue to be aggressive when I’m in the game,” said Diallo, who was born in New York, spent time in Denver and finished school on the East Coast before heading to Providence. “Try to force guys to turn the ball over as best as I can, and help rebound.”

Diallo has teammates occasionally asking for tips on how to guard someone a certain way. He's always willing to impart his defensive wisdom.

“He’s really athletic. He can beat people to the spot,” Jokic explained of Diallo's defensive prowess. “He's kind of trippy. He knows how to play a little bit dirty, too, so he has a little bit of everything.”

Diallo averaged 11.9 points and 4.4 rebounds for Monaco last season. He's preparing for any role with the Nuggets while taking in everything. He's expected to play on the second unit with some combination of DeMar DeRozan, Tyus Jones, Marvin Bagley III, rookie Trevon Brazile, Spencer Jones and Julian Strawther (when healthy).

“I’m still figuring it out,” said Diallo, who signed a one-year deal in August. “I won’t say I have everything figured out, but that’s what our coaches are here for. They talk to me every day about what I can do to improve on different aspects, and I’ve been listening and following.”

No matter the age or experience, there figures to be a learning curve in making the transition from the EuroLeague to the NBA.

“The physicality over there is what it is, and so he’s brought that with him,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. "The team part of it is different, just because the rules are different. So he’s got to get used to that.

“Obviously, the talent level of our best players in the NBA, it brings a totally different idea team-wise. In Europe, the responsibility is more about you guard your guy and you get through screens and you maintain what you’re doing. Over here, you have to mix that with a lot of team concepts.”

Crowded arenas won't be an eye-opening experience for Diallo. He's fully accustomed to that.

“The first time I'd ever been to Lithuania was to play a basketball game, and they sold out ... the arena," Diallo said. "Everyone was standing up for the whole game. So different experiences like that, I think helps me, and just gives me a little bit confidence of coming in here and being able to just fit in.”

The current rookie of the year odds favor Cameron Boozer (Memphis), Caleb Wilson (Chicago), Peterson, Dybantsa and Darius Acuff Jr. (Sacramento). Diallo's name is nowhere to be found on most lists, which is fine by him.

“Do I feel like a rookie? No, I don’t feel like a rookie,” Diallo said. “But in the same sense, I’m new to the NBA, so I get it. I’ve been playing in some big games and won some titles — but in Europe — and this is a new league. So, start fresh.”

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