Will Barton’s Contract Is a Huge Steal for Nuggets
During the 2015 offseason, 15 NBA players signed contracts worth between $3 and $4 million annually.
These players were Alan Anderson, J.J. Barea, Lavoy Allen, Will Barton, Bismack Biyombo, Omri Casspi, Norris Cole, Dante Cunningham, Raymond Felton, Drew Gooden, Gerald Green, K.J. McDaniels, Paul Pierce, Austin Rivers and Marreese Speights.
One name should stick out among that group, and not just because he’s a Nugget. Will Barton has been superb as Denver’s sixth man after inking a three-year, $10.6 million deal with the team during the summer.
In fact, let’s take a look at how well Barton has done so far to start this season compared to similar earners (not including Anderson and Cole, who have yet to play due to injury):
At the bottom of the table, you’ll see how little the average player earning this amount of money is producing: 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.3 blocks, a 10.2 player efficiency rating (15 is league average) and 0.2 win shares.
With the NBA’s salary cap exploding the next couple of years, an annual salary between $3 and $4 million is peanuts now. Players who earn this amount are usually end-of-the-rotation guys who have reached their potential (Allen and Cunningham, for example), young players who haven’t lived up to the hype (Rivers and Biyombo) or past-their-prime veterans chasing a ring (Pierce and Green).
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This is not a proper salary for young sixth-man extraordinaires. But that’s just what 24-year-old Will Barton is.
Barton has long been compared to the Houston Rockets’ Corey Brewer for their similar playing styles. The two athletic swingmen play the game at full throttle on both ends, attack the rim with reckless abandon despite being very thin and have streaky jump shots.
However, Denver’s sixth man is setting himself apart this season as more than just an energy guy who makes a killing in transition. Barton is shooting the ball from behind the arc at a 41.9 percent clip, making 1.3 threes a game. His ball-handling seems to have improved, as he’s breaking down his opponents off the dribble more and getting to the rack for two points via field goal or free throws (he’s at 90.3 percent from the charity stripe).
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With all of this attacking and ball-handling, he’s only turning over the ball 0.8 times per game. The percentage of possessions he uses that end in a turnover (6.2) ranks him
.
Of course, the energy he brings on defense is just gravy at this point. Barton isn’t the best perimeter defender on the team (Gary Harris takes that honor), but he’s certainly not a liability and can do very well in matchups where he’s not giving up a lot of strength.
And guess what? At 24 years old and with only a half-season of playing a significant role in the NBA, Barton is only going to get better. If he hits his ceiling, he could end up as the No. 2 scoring option on a good team (hopefully the Nuggets!), topping out as an 18 or 19 points per game type guy in a few years.
Thankfully, Denver has him locked in for three years and can reap the rewards of his development at an extremely affordable price.
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Note: All contract information via Spotrac.