The Denver Nuggets Will Barton got the nod to compete in the 2016 all-star weekend slam dunk competition up in Toronto next weekend. This is an awesome opportunity for a breakout star in Barton and some awesome recognition for a Nuggets squad that continues to battle and grow this season.
Will “The Thrill” is sure to come out and bring the energy, but he needs a little preparation if he is going to take home the elusive crown. Unless you can do a backflip 360 dunk right now, there is a strategy that each participant has to develop to make sure they can wow the crowd and the judges.
The competition is going to be extremely fierce. Andre Drummond is the biggest wild card. The big men have a hard time wowing considering they don’t even have to jump to dunk the ball, so he is a major underdog. Aaron Gordon is the biggest athletic freak so he has the potential to go off. His only downfall is that while his explosiveness is off the charts, he lacks some of the elegance that dazzles and makes replay incredible.
Then there’s Zach LaVine. The man that has it all when it comes to the throw downs. The hops, the smoothness, the athleticism. He is unbeatable. Until somebody beats him that is.
If Barton is going to be that man, he needs to study up from the past contestants in his shoes. Let’s travel back throughout the Denver Nuggets history books to the past slam dunkers from the Mile High City to study their styles and what Barton can take out them to give himself a leg up. We ranked the five prior Nuggets in order of the best examples for Will Barton to follow.
After that, it’s just jumping super high and executing.
Next: 5. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf