Denver Nuggets: Should Will Barton be an All-Star?
By Jack Malloy
With the NBA All-Star game right around the corner, it’s time for me to get unreasonably upset about players getting voted in that don’t deserve to be there.
Every year there are players that have barely seen the court that get voted in by the fans. I think Yao Ming is still the leading vote-getter. I get it, the game is for the fans. It’s a fun event and should feature the biggest names, which would be fine, if we left it at that.
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When analysts and media sit around evaluating players’ careers, you always hear about the amount of all-star games they played in. The years following an all-star bid, their reputation is bolstered around the league. That kind of reputation leads to bigger contracts and more money. Not to be overly dramatic, but all-star nods can be a huge boost for a player’s career for it being such a “meaningless” game.
The game itself is no more than a subpar exhibition of breakaways and 35 foot threes, but it’s what comes from being selected that makes it worth more than the voters give credit for.
Right now, Kyrie Irving sits at number two in eastern conference voting for guards. He’s played in ten games. Dwyane Wade is leading eastern conference guards in voting with a stat like of 18.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. Pretty good, I guess. Derrick Rose and Jeremy Lin make the top ten. There are some question marks there surely, but I’m more concerned about the west and chances for our Denver Nuggets.
The western conference voting has Kobe Bryant first overall in voting. Fair enough, I get it. We won’t even jump into stats. Spoiler alert, they are NOT great.
Rajon Rondo, Andre Iguodala, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker land six through nine, respectively in guard voting out of the western conference after the second return of fan-vote results last week. While there is an arguments to be made about whether or not these are justified, the top five guards are hard to dispute.
Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, and James Harden are the biggest name in western guards undoubtedly, but one of the Nuggets own has made a run to get himself into discussion with this group this year.
Will Barton has been one of the biggest surprises for not only the Nuggets, but the NBA this season. The leading sixth man of the year candidate has taken advantage of all the opportunity he’s received since becoming a staple in the rotation.
While his averages for the whole year are solid at 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and a steal a game, they don’t tell the whole story of his growth as the years gone on.
Take a look at his stats from over a little more than two months of the season:
The improvement each month is incredible and it looks like he should continue this success going forward. Nuggets fans see his confidence balloon with each passing game.
Maybe more important than the numbers is the timing with which he stepped into the limelight. The Nuggets have been riddled with injuries all season, but Barton remains the one constant.
Gallinari, Mudiay, Faried, Harris and Nurkic have all missed significant time, while Will Barton has been in the lineup every night. As we approach the halfway point of the season, the Nuggets are still in shouting distance of the eighth spot in the west. Not to say we are legitimate playoff contenders, but we aren’t looking at that situation if not for his elevated play.
While there’s no arguing against James Harden’s huge numbers and his status as one of the best players in the league, his impact is not leading his team to great success. Even with significantly more talent around him.
Rajon Rondo is a similar story. His number are great, but even with Boogie Cousins and Rudy Gay to run the show with, they are only one game ahead of the young Denver Nuggets.
Danilo Gallinari is still the Nuggets team leader and will likely overshadow Barton in any all-star opportunity that presents itself for Denver, but for Nuggets fans that watch all their games, they see that Barton’s impact on both ends of the court outweigh even that of the talented Italian scorer.
Will’s style of play and energy is a boost that the Nuggets need every night. On a team that has seen its offense go stale plenty throughout their games this year, Barton is the spark that pulls this team along. The scoring, rebounding, passing, and defending make him a menace for the opposition.
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Is Will Barton going to make the all-star team? Probably not. The votes won’t be there and the coaches are unlikely to vote him in. The Nuggets shooting guard doesn’t have the recognition he deserves yet, and he may not until Denver become a winning unit.
Still, let’s just remember Will Barton’s impact on this team when February 14th rolls around (that’s right guys, this is your first reminder that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner) and the all-star game makes its way north of the boarder.
A sixth man of the year award at the end of the season would justify all the hard work Will “The Thrill” puts in, then next year, we’ll talk all-star a little more seriously.
Note: All stats from NBA.com/stats