Tim Hardaway Jr. signed with the Denver Nuggets this past offseason on a one-year, veteran minimum contract, but the contributions he's made on the court have been anything but minimum. 

Coming primarily off the bench, Hardaway has proven himself to be a reliable scoring option with an average of 12 points per game while shooting 48% from the field and the wealth of experience that he brings to the table has added to his value on the little things that happen between plays. 

Hardaway Jr. has been in the league since 2013 and has played for five different teams, including the Nuggets. That experience elevates Hardaway Jr. to a team-leader status, even if he's brand new to the roster, and the reliable presence he's proven himself to be has made a serious impact on the team, something that his teammate Peyton Watson has taken notice of. 

"Tim has just been the definition of a professional from off the court, talking, on the court, talking, just keeping everybody in a good headspace, mentally, bringing the team together for team bonding off the court. He's just been an amazing dude and somebody that I really look up to him, as far as his professionalism and his veteran presence goes," Watson said (via Nuggets).

Watson himself is going into the fourth season of his NBA career, but he's still just 23 years old. The Nuggets have a handful of young players and the presence of someone like Hardaway Jr. as a proven veteran and a "glue guy" does so much more than what can be contained within a stat sheet. He provides an example for the young players around him to strive toward.

"That's something that I kind of want to be as I get deeper into my career. And he's just a great player and an even better person," Watson said. 

The Nuggets as a whole have been thriving. They sit at a 10-2 record, behind only the triumphant Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference, and all of the pieces they've put together are clearly working together in synergy.

There are the obvious stars like Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, and another veteran in Aaron Gordon, who's been having a career year in Denver, but players like Hardaway Jr. are the players that may work more in the background that add tremendous benefit to the team both on the court and when it comes to leadership and morale.