As sports journalists we spend a lot of time on hypotheticals, predicting how teams and players were perform, who will play, what trades will happen and if injured players will appear in a game. Sometimes the easiest way to get these questions answered is just to ask the player. It's so simple that it's genius.
This is what took place during the pregame broadcast before the Denver Nuggets game against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Nuggets JaMychal Green was questionable heading into Wednesday's game against the Pacers. When Nuggets studio host Katy Winge asked if he was playing tonight, since Green was warming up, Scott Hastings, Nuggets Color analyst on Altitude Sports, the team's home television station, decided to just turn around and ask him, rather than speculate.
"Hey JaMychal! Hey JaMychal! You playing?" Hastings asked.
Green answered by shaking his head no and returned to shooting around.
"Nah he's not playing," Hastings replied, translating Green's answer.
"I don't know why you gotta wait for all these letters and stuff to come out, just ask the dude, and he said he wasn't playing" Hastings said, matter of factly, leaving the other reporters laughing. Rather than waiting for an official report for the team, Hastings took his opportunity and asked Green upfront.
Here is a look at the exchange:
It is not a bad approach and clearly this time it worked.
The Nuggets went on to defeat the Pacers 125-118, without the help of Green, of course.