SAN DIEGO — Known figures in the world of basketball and beyond to whom various Nuggets players have been compared this week: Larry Bird, Ricky Rubio, Marco Polo.

The latter wasn’t so much a basketball comp as a spiritual one, drawn across centuries. Michael Malone was discussing the adventurous qualities of Aaron Gordon after one of Denver’s training camp practices. “That guy, he’s like Marco Polo, man,” Malone said. “World traveler.”

The other two comparisons were all about hoops, although one was several measures more reasonable than the other.

No, the Larry Bird bond was not referring to Nikola Jokic.

“Hunter Tyson, he’s like Larry Bird,” Malone said Thursday. “The way he’s shooting the 3-point shot is just tremendous, and he plays so hard.”

The 37th pick in this year’s draft is not going to turn into Larry Bird. (But then again, Jokic did get picked 41st.) Either way, Tyson has made an impression in Denver thanks to his summer league performance and his work in San Diego this week. He and fellow draftees Jalen Pickett and Julian Strawther are among the players this preseason trying to climb a Denver depth chart that is very much up in the air, aside from the starting five.

“I’m not giving any minutes away,” Malone said this week when asked if he already has some mental picture of his potential second unit. “Nothing’s going to be given to anybody. … If anybody out there, players, think that they’re automatically going to be given minutes as a backup, they’re mistaken. They’re going to have to earn that. I’m not giving anything away.”

Christian Braun is the only likely exception. He’s the Nuggets’ lone returning player who frequently appeared off Malone’s shortened bench throughout the playoffs. With free agency departures such as Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, training camp and upcoming preseason games are all about remodeling the second unit for 2023-24.

“Even though he have a five-man unit that is on an advanced course for a PhD, we can’t forget about the other guys,” as Malone put it.

Braun should slot in as the two-guard behind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Otherwise, Denver’s bench configuration could feature experimentation even once the season has started.

Due in part to the Nuggets’ needs, Tyson may be the rookie who’s most likely to become Malone’s No. 2 option at any position early in the year. Vlatko Cancar’s torn ACL this summer had ripple effects. Zeke Nnaji might be needed even more as a small-lineup center, and a bulked-up Peyton Watson subsequently projects as a potential stretch-four. During a bench portion of the Nuggets’ scrimmage Friday, which media was permitted to view, Watson displayed strong finishing off the dribble and a smooth jump shot in a last-minute situation.

Tyson, at 6-foot-8, resides in the same positional space as Watson and played on the opposite team during the scrimmage. His mobility was notable at both ends of the floor. He missed both of his 3-point attempts during the 10-minute window, but he made impacts in other ways, gathering rebounds at both ends and displaying excellent passing touch on a one-handed, pick-and-roll lob to DeAndre Jordan. His court vision is impressive, even if he tried to get a little too fancy at one point with an errant pass through layers of defenders.

If there’s an element that could interfere with Watson and Tyson both being second-string options at the three and four, it’s their combined lack of experience. Malone, like many coaches, is more inclined to trust veterans early in a season. Enter newcomer Justin Holiday, a possible backup three whom Malone thought was a “seamless” addition to the starting unit during the scrimmage.

It’s the same situation at backup point guard, where 33-year-old Reggie Jackson seems more likely than Pickett to play behind Jamal Murray — even though Malone also praised Pickett this week. The former Penn State guard had 10 assists and one turnover across the first two days of camp. “Talk about taking care of the ball at a high level,” Malone said.

Jackson, however, was the recipient of the Rubio comp, which came directly from general manager Calvin Booth.

“I was with Ricky in Minnesota, and every time Ricky looked like he was down and out, he would have this terrific stretch,” Booth said. “If you look at Reggie’s career, he’s pretty much done the same thing. I would anticipate that he has a big year.”

There are others who fit into the puzzle, if not as prominently: two-way players Braxton Key and Jay Huff in the frontcourt, Strawther and Collin Gillespie in the backcourt. Strawther made both of his shots during the media window, including one of the 3-pointers that made him popular at Gonzaga.

“I got Julian with that group a little bit today because he has a unique ability with his size, shooting, ability to play off the bounce,” Malone said. “‘Hey man, if I just run the floor and space correctly, the ball’s going to find me. Now I’ve just gotta step into my shot and knock it down.’”

With five upcoming preseason games, four of which are on the road, Malone and the Nuggets left San Diego still unsure where the depth chart might end up.

“It’s going to be hard choice to figure out that second unit,” Caldwell-Pope said, “because we’ve got some guys coming off the bench that could play on any team.”