Elon’s Tanner Samson Works Out with Denver Nuggets

DENVER – Elon University men’s basketball senior guard Tanner Samson had a workout with the NBA’s Denver Nuggets on Saturday, June 18, at the practice facility inside the Pepsi Center.

Samson was part of the 14th pre-draft workout session for the Nuggets and was one of two players at Saturday’s workout leading up to the NBA Draft on June 23. The other player was Furkan Korkmaz, a 6’7” guard from Turkey, who played for Anadolu Efes Istanbul of the Turkish Basketball League.

Samson averaged a team-high 11.8 points per game and drained 82 three-pointers on the year, good for third in the Colonial Athletic Association. Samson finished his career as Elon’s all-time leader in three-pointers made with 324. He also became the 39th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points, scoring 1,320 points in four seasons.

Denver Nuggets Prospect Q&A | Tanner Samson

How has this process been going so far for you?
“You know, it’s been great. Just working out with a bunch of different guys and this is my first pre-draft workout. I’m really excited they gave me the chance.”

You’re from Littleton and went to Regis High School. What does it mean to workout for your hometown team?
“I moved here going into eighth grade so I’ve been here quite a while, just going to Nuggets games and high school. It’s a great experience and I’m really excited about it.”

Coming into this workout, what was your goal?
“I focus on just going out there and having fun. I just go for it and give it my all. If there are new drills or drills that I’ve been used to, I’m just going to go out there and give it my best. My coaches at Elon did a great job scheduling as many top teams as they could. We played Duke, Georgetown, and Syracuse every year; we play guys that are in the NBA. I’m ready to go against whoever it is. I’ve played against top picks my whole life. That definitely helped.”

What would you want the Nuggets organization or Denver fans to know about you?
“Just I’m a really good competitor no matter who I’m playing. We played against some of the best players. I’m not going to be frightened or scared to go up against anybody.”

What are your plans for the rest of the summer?
“Just working out and staying in shape and seeing what’s next.”