Reggie Jackson’s a hoop head. While most veterans on last year’s squad jettisoned to locales across the globe after celebrating the franchise’s first championship, Jackson spent much of his short summer on the second floor of Ball Arena alongside some of the team’s younger players. It began with lifting, but the basketball cravings quickly kicked in.

“I took a break off for a little bit but just got antsy, wanted to get back, wanted to work out,” he said Monday.

It helps that Colorado happens to be home for the Palmer High grad. Jackson said he took two or three week-long breaks to rest in the offseason. The first came immediately after the season. Another came midway through the offseason with the most recent one ending this week ahead of training camp.

“Reggie’s had a fantastic summer,” Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth said. “Reggie reminds me a lot of Ricky Rubio. I was with Ricky a long time in Minnesota. Every time Ricky looked like he was down and out, he’d have a terrific stretch. If you look at Reggie’s career, he’s pretty much done the same thing. I would anticipate that he has a big year.”

After arriving in Denver as a buy-out player in February, Jackson struggled to crack the regular rotation. Bruce Brown had assumed the back-up point guard position by the time Jackson arrived. When foul trouble struck in the playoffs, Nuggets coach Michael Malone used Jackson to steal a couple of minutes. The diminished role did little to sour the experience.

“I’m probably the happiest person on the team,” Jackson said. “Maybe in a few years or one day I’ll wake up and it will finally sink in I was able to come home.”

Brown’s offseason move to the Pacers has created the opportunity for Jackson to claim the spot in his first full season in Denver. When asked who would fill Brown’s role, Christian Braun was the first name Malone mentioned, but Booth added that the second-year wing won’t be playing point guard. Jackson was the second name out of Malone’s mouth.

“Reggie Jackson had a great offseason. He was here quite a bit,” the Nuggets coach said. “Reggie put a lot of time into his craft, but also, it’s invaluable because of the time he spent with all of our young players this summer.”

The 33-year-old who was a prep star in Colorado Springs started the offseason as a free agent unsure of what was next. After the Pacers paid up for Brown, the Nuggets quickly offered Jackson a two-year contract worth just more than $10 million. He has a player option for the 2024-25 season, not that he sounds likely to leave.

“I wasn’t sure,” Jackson said of the original uncertainty. “But if they wanted me, I knew it was a place I didn’t want to leave.”

Jackson’s planning on his second season being more productive than his first. The on-court transition was admittedly difficult. Though the Nuggets play the game “the right way,” it wasn’t exactly a style that had become routine after spending the last few years with the Clippers. While the Nuggets ranked fifth, third and second in assists per game in the last three seasons, the Clippers were 21st, 17th and 24th.

“It messed me up. I was frustrated. I remember pulling myself out of a game last year,” Jackson remembered. “I think I missed like four or five straight 3s. I was frustrated, because I’m looking at Jamal like ‘Why do you keep hitting me with the ball?’ He’s like, ‘We’re just playing. You happen to be the guy open, and you have to take your shots.’”

Nobody had to tell Jackson that this summer.

“I love it. I’m an addict,” Jackson said. “I’m not going to lie. I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t in the gym.”