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Denver Nuggets: Keys to the Grizzlies game

By Michael Longhofer

MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 2: Mason Plumlee
MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 2: Mason Plumlee /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 13: Will Barton #5 of the Denver Nuggets handles the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 13, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 13: Will Barton #5 of the Denver Nuggets handles the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 13, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Will Barton has been a jack-of-all-trades for the Nuggets this season.

He’s played the point, the two and the three.  He’s played as a starter and off-the-bench.  He’s done whatever the Nuggets staff has asked of him and I admire him for that.

I’ve given Barton a pretty wide berth considering he can be maddeningly inconsistent.  His leadership, however, is constant.  It’s Barton that calls out his team for effort.  It’s Barton that de-escalated the Murray/Lakers beef, calling it “suburban beef”.

Will is quietly a very important part of this team.

That fact makes it all the more frustrating when he goes into a funk like the one he was in before bouncing back for 23 against the Pistons.

Barton is the most likely starter at the two with Gary Harris out.  There can’t be a big drop-off with Harris out and Barton will have the most to say about that.

It’s not just Barton’s individual performances prior to the Pistons, it’s that the team seems to suffer a huge drop, sometimes when the second team is in.  With Devin Harris still assimilating, the leadership of the second unit falls to Barton, regardless of where he’s playing.

For tonight and for the rest of the season, Thrill is going to have to find a way to throttle that energy and keep his game focused.

There’s great news for the Nuggets, when Barton does that, when he limits turnovers and involves his teammates, not only does he statistically improve, the Nuggets win.

Next: Denver Nuggets: Match up to watch

For the foreseeable future, in the Nuggets world, winning is everything.

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