There is definitely going to be a learning curve for Emmanuel Mudiay, not only in the preseason but throughout the course of the year with the Nuggets. Even though Mudiay struggled against Chris Paul and the Clippers in his first preseason game, he is drawing positive attention around the league.

“You know, Denver is going to be an improved team this year,” Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle told his team’s website. “Mudiay is going to be a real problem to deal with, ’cause he gets in the lane, he finds people and he can score.”

After committing eight turnovers in his first game, Mudiay will look to improve his assist to turnover ratio against the Mavericks. However, his statistics didn’t quite tell the full story of his performance.

“He didn’t really get rattled, this being his first game…Very under control,” Chris Paul told J.A. Adande of ESPN after the game. “I definitely think he’ll be a really good guard in this league for a long time.”

Mudaiy will get a bit of a break as Deron Williams is not expected to play against the Nuggets with a left calf strain. But at this point, he just needs all the time on the floor he can get to continue his growth process as a professional.