One of the Nuggets’ Summer League players is not like the others.

Hunter Tyson is the only member of the 16-man roster headed to Las Vegas for a third time with the Nuggets. DaRon Holmes II, who missed all of last season after suffering an Achilles injury a summer ago, is the only other member of Denver’s 15-man regular-season roster who’s headed to NBA Summer League.

“He got some really valuable experience at the beginning of last year. That tapered off a little bit toward the end of the year, so, him getting game minutes is big.” Andrew Munson, the Nuggets’ Summer League coach, said after Sunday’s practice. “It’s hard to find good quality, organized basketball in the summer. That’s a big part of our player development is getting live reps. He was really excited about it.”

Tyson played 18 games as a rookie, and that number jumped to 51 last season. He averaged 2.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in just under eight minutes of playing time per game.

In 2023, Tyson led the Nuggets with 20.8 points per game on a Summer League roster that included Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, and Collin Gillespie. Last summer, he averaged 15.2 points per game, finishing behind Strawther, who played in two games, and Trey Alexander, who was on a two-way contract.

The former Clemson Tiger is the only one of those players headed back for another Summer League stint. That’s just fine with the 25-year-old.

“I feel good, man,” Tyson said.

“I’m trying to use this opportunity to get better, make the most of it. Every time I step on the floor, I try to make the most of each opportunity. I’m going to go out there, try to win, try and work on my game, try to get better and just use the game reps to continue to grow my game.”

Munson has seen Tyson live up to his words through the first two days of practice. Denver’s Summer League coach named Tyson and Spencer Jones, a two-way player who will return to the Nuggets for a second season, as two players who have been providing valuable vocal leadership on a squad that’s short on experience.

Once Denver’s Summer League slate begins on Thursday, Munson has a good idea what he wants to see from Tyson, who entered the league with the reputation of being a strong shooter after making 40.5% from 3-point range in his final collegiate season. The same efficiency hasn’t been there early in his NBA career, as he’s a 30.7 shooter from deep on limited attempts through two NBA seasons.

“Obviously, we want to see him knock down open shots but try not to force too much. We want him to still play within his role,” Munson said. “Let the game come to him, make open shots and I think rebounding will be a big point of emphasis as well.”