The apology that came after Bryn Forbes’s Denver debut was an unnecessary one.

Forbes scored nine of the Nuggets’ 17 bench points and recorded the reserves’ only second-half bucket in Friday’s 122-118 loss to Memphis.

Denver coach Michael Malone said Forbes, who shot 43.2% from the field and 41.7% from 3 in 40 games for the Spurs this season before being traded this week, apologized after finishing 4 for 13 from the field as they headed toward the tunnel.

“If you got out there and play hard, man, that’s all I ever ask,” Malone remembered telling the newest Nugget. “Don’t say ‘my bad.’ You went out there and played hard. I know you’re a better shooter than 4 of 13 from the field.”

Forbes plans on showing just that. He made his first two shots from the field, both midrange jumpers, and finished 1 of 3 from 3-point range. Only two Nuggets - Zeke Nnaji (47.1%) and Davon Reed (41.9) - have a better 3-point percentage while taking more than one per game than Forbes.

“I pride myself (on) hitting shots and playing hard,” Forbes said. “I think I’m going to hit shots at a high clip. I always have. Then, just play as hard as I can on both ends.”

Forbes only had Friday’s morning shootaround to get a feel for the Nuggets’ playbook. He said the plays aren’t the issue as much as each team calling different actions by different names.

“There’s a lot of similar plays,” Forbes said. “It’s just the dialogue, the names of plays and what they call certain things that I have to get used to and remember.”

One thing the sixth-year player out of Michigan State appeared to pick up quickly was playing alongside Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. The second bucket Forbes scored in a Nuggets uniform came after it looked like Jokic was going to drive on Steven Adams. When a crowd surrounded Jokic, he flipped the ball back out to the top of the key and screened his new teammate’s defender, freeing Forbes for a 15-foot pull-up.

“You think he doesn’t see you, and the ball is in your hand the next second,” Forbes said.

While it wasn’t the efficient shooting debut Forbes would have hoped for, Denver’s star understands what his new teammate brings to the table.

“He’s a shooter,” Jokic said. “He’s a really good player to have on your team.”

Forbes spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Spurs before winning a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks last season. He returned to San Antonio for the start of his sixth NBA season but was happy to return to a team with plans on making a postseason run.

“It’s just a class-act organization and very talented team. I’m excited to see what we can do,” Forbes said. “I feel like I fit pretty well here. I’m just excited to keep moving forward.”