With Plumlee, 30, the Pistons got their starting center and a dynamic piece to add to their frontcourt. Weaver likes Plumlee’s communication, his athleticism and most of all, his ability to help the Pistons improve in the pick-and-roll.

Among big men, Plumlee’s assist percentage was elite last year. He logged a career-high 21.4% assist rate — in the 96th percentile among big men, according to Cleaning The Glass.

Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee was the team’s unsung hero in Game 6. Plumlee played with a passion that was contagious, had weakside defensive efforts that helped contribute to multiple stops and attacked the boards relentlessly while he was on the floor.

Since then, Plumlee has been an active investor in startup companies across the country. And now, he’s paying the education he received forward through Facebook with his “Founder Series with Mason Plumlee,” an online interview series that features founders of the companies he’s investing in along with others trying to start their own businesses.

During his rookie season, Plumlee, now with the Denver Nuggets, started getting an education in investment opportunities from teammates who would share their experiences and knowledge, as well as through a company he was introduced to at the time.

Now, Plumlee is helping to educate the public about some promising startups with his Founder Series, an online interview series which features the founders of a wide variety of startups ranging from education technology to cereal to yachting to cryptocurrency.

By Mike Singer, Denver Post Mason Plumlee is the type of player every coach wants on their team. It’s a rare night that Plumlee will jump out of the box score, let alone overshadow all-NBA center Nikola Jokic, but you’ll never have to question his commitment. Every night Nuggets coach Michael Malone calls to sub […]

There were usually bigger names on Plumlee’s Duke teams, from Singler, Smith and Scheyer to Curry, Rivers and Kelly, but Plumlee was a consistent presence in the middle and finished as Duke’s leading rebounder and shot blocker for the decade, as well as the fourth-leading scorer.

Nuggets center Mason Plumlee officially made the cut, as did Parker native and CU alum Derrick White. Plumlee was also a member of the gold-medal winning 2014 World Cup team, while White will play in the World Cup for the first time.

As Plumlee was walking toward the exit at the Mendenhall Center, Coach Mike Krzyzewski was waiting for his former Duke standout to catch up. Although it has been six years since the two men last worked together, it almost appeared as if Plumlee never left the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

“He is one of those, I call them, utility-type infielders. They’ll do whatever is asked, “Popovich said on Monday. “He plays good defense, he rebounds, he runs – he’ll do whatever it takes for his team to win. He’s an ultimate teammate and that’s why he’s here.”

Mason Plumlee, one of the top reserve big men in the NBA, will get his shot to represent his country as he was one of six additions to Team USA’s World Cup Training Camp roster. His trademark tenacity could be an ideal fit on Gregg Popovich’s team. 

But what Plumlee has brought to the Nuggets is a different type of rebounding big man to the Nuggets, one who rebounds with power and elevates over others to catch the ball off the rim.

Plumlee’s versatility has manifested itself in other ways. Per basketball-reference, Plumlee is playing more power forward this year than he has at any other point in his career. That decision has paid off — lineups with him and Nikola Jokic (who Plumlee praised for being “a great player”) on the floor together, according to Cleaning the Glass, are clobbering opponents by 9.2 points per 100 possessions.

Plumlee is solidifying his case as the best backup center in the entire NBA. If we were to hand out a quarter season Most Improved Player of the Year Award, it would go to Plumlee.

Mason Plumlee is now first in defensive rating on the official NBA leaderboard at a stunning 95.4. (For context, consider that the Oklahoma City Thunder have the league’s best defensive rating at 101.4.)

All Plumlee cares about is winning, which is often more a noble goal than a reality. But with Plumlee and the 14-7 Nuggets, it’s authentic.

If you are looking for a Sixth Man of the Year that brings constant energy on both ends of the floor every night and might fill up the stat sheet from time to time, then Plumlee is absolutely the player you are looking for.

Plumlee’s plus-10 net rating leads all Nuggets players.

Mason Plumlee might not be getting the attention of his teammates, but he is an invaluable part of the Nuggets-watching experience. It’s time to get on board.

So much of team success in this league comes down to individuals not just accepting their roles, but learning how to flourish within them. What a gift it must be for a coach and a locker room to have a player who seems to grasp that like Mason does.