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Denver Nuggets: The five best players you’ve never heard of

By Grayson Moore

BOSTON, MA - 1990: Blair Rasmussen #41 of the Denver Nuggets looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics circa 1990 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 1990 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - 1990: Blair Rasmussen #41 of the Denver Nuggets looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics circa 1990 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 1990 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON – 1993: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf #3 of the Denver Nuggets shoots against the Boston Celtics circa 1993 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1993 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON – 1993: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf #3 of the Denver Nuggets shoots against the Boston Celtics circa 1993 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1993 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. PG Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

Career Stats in Denver(6 seasons): 16.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 4.0 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.1 bpg, 44.3% FG%, 35.4% FG3%, 15.9 PER, 22.1 Win Shares

Abdul-Rauf(formerly known as Chris Jackson) may be the most well-known player on this list, though likely not for his on-court actions. The Nuggets point guard was actually the first player to kneel for the national anthem, long before Colin Kaepernick made it “cool”. He kneeled for very similar reasons and received similar flak for his actions.

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Denver Nuggets

I’m not here to offer commentary on that, but I would like to bring up why he should be remembered for something other than protesting. The former 3rd overall pick was one of the Nuggets best players during the 90’s and is one of the original 3-point marksmen.

MIP

In the 1992-93 season, Abdul-Rauf started 81 games and led the Nuggets in scoring with 19.2 ppg and had the 7th best FT%(93.5%) of all time min. 200 attempts. He also led the team in offensive box plus/minus and had the lowest usage rate to turnover percentage ratio. With 5.1 win shares and a 15.6 PER, he would go on to win the league’s Most Improved Player award.

He left a bigger impact than just an MIP, however.

Impact on the Game

He was one of the early advocates for the 3-point movement, some even going so far as to refer to him as the “OG Steph Curry”. In six seasons in Denver, he averaged a three-point attempt rate of 16.1% while maintaining a three-point percentage of 35.4%, both pretty high above the league averages for that time period. It was more than just stats, though.

He could attempt shots from anywhere on the court. He had unbelievable range for his time period, and as he started putting up more threes as his career went on, he started making more. Unfortunately, his career was cut short by injuries.

As his career path was going, he was set to be a huge proponent for the 3-point shot. Instead, he will be remembered as the first Kaepernick. I hope Denver fans will look at him like he deserves to be looked at. A talented shooter and a starting point guard to be proud of.