18-year NBA veteran DeMar DeRozan took part in his first Denver Nuggets media day on Monday, on the eve of the beginning of training camp.

After signing a one-year, $3.9 million veteran minimum deal with the franchise, DeRozan addressed virtually everything that led him to choose 'Mile High City' as the next destination in his illustrious career — including who was in his ear throughout the process.

DeRozan said he did his due diligence, speaking with everyone he could reach, both inside and outside the organization. However, former Nugget and recently retired Russell Westbrook was the biggest intermediary.

"Even before it was a thought, I had [Westbrook] hit [Nikola Jokic] and ask him his thoughts on a few things," he added. "I did my part, just to get a feel for it. But every conversation I had with everybody just made me feel even more comfortable [coming here]." 

DeRozan also mentioned head coach David Adelman, Jared Dudley, Aaron Gordon, and Jamal Murray as the people who helped him find clarity.

DeRozan stated the obvious when he said that you never want to go to a place where you're not wanted. Well, that will not be a problem for him in Denver.

The 37-year-old revealed that the Nuggets' core, including Jokic, made recruitment calls to him during free agency.

At media day, 'The Joker' couldn't have spoken any higher of DeRozan and his fit on the team. "I think, of course, we know he's a top 20, right? Isn't he? Top 25? Top 20? So, he can score the ball; that's one thing. I think he's an underrated passer," the three-time MVP said.

"I think we're going to find a way, I don't want to say to make him better, because he's already great. I think he's maybe going to love to play with us and play our style of basketball." 

As a pure scorer, Denver wanting to add DeRozan was a no-brainer. He's actually 16th on the all-time scoring list that Jokic was trying to recall from memory, with 26,711 points.

And despite being around the corner from the tail end of his career, DeRozan still has a lot to offer — including durability, having played 77 games in each of his last two campaigns with the Sacramento Kings.

The proximity of the transactions makes it seem like DeRozan is coming in to replace the departed Peyton Watson (Cleveland Cavaliers). However, stylistically, the two are fairly different.

DeRozan has made his money in the league as a half-court assassin. He is a midrange specialist who will give the Nuggets an elite, reliable option in late-game closeout situations. 

Averaging 21.1 points per game over the span of his career, DeRozan still has it. He tallied 22.2 points per tilt in his first year in Sacramento and 18.4 points last term, despite the Kings completely falling off the boil. And he was still playing over 30 minutes per outing. 

The one thing DeRozan will not help the Nuggets with is spacing. He is a below-average three-point shooter. However, in big moments, he has a tendency to knock those down too. But Denver knows that. They didn't bring him in to stand in the corner. 

Having been a starter his entire career, DeRozan could be looking at a new sixth-man role with the Nuggets. His skill set fits in perfectly with what Adelman could use in his second unit, as well as in stretches alongside Jokic and Murray. 

Whatever DeRozan's role and usage end up being, it doesn't hurt Denver in the slightest to have somebody in the fold who can go and get a bucket anytime they want — on top of being an underrated secondary playmaker. DeRozan hasn't averaged less than 4.1 assists per game since 2016-17.