Denver Nuggets: Bold predictions for Will Barton
By Mathew Huff
The Denver Nuggets are hoping for a productive season out of new starting small forward, Will Barton.
Will Barton will be the new starting wing for the Denver Nuggets since Michael Porter Jr. will still be healing up from his back injury.
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While there are plenty of concerns about Barton in the starting rotation, and many of them warranted, there are a couple of things fans should be excited for.
He can created his own shot and can get extremely hot when his shot is falling. While we are at it, we might as well predict two bold predictions for the former Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
Barton averages 55% or better from the field- Barton is a year wiser now, so hopefully that will mean wiser shot selection, especially since he will now be a starter. Per basketball reference, Barton had a career year last year averaging 45.2% from the field. A 10% increase is a big increase, but then again, these are supposed to be bold takes. Let’s not forget, he also had a true shooting percentage of 56.2% which was a career high and also averaged a three point percentage of 37%. These are solid shooting numbers for a player who is about to become the new starting small forward this coming season.
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Barton becomes a solid perimeter defender- Many forget that Barton actually improved in many defensive facets last season. He improved his defensive rating to 112, had a block percentage of 1.6%, a steal percentage of 1.5% and also improved his defensive win shares to 1.8 which is a whole point better than the season before. With him in the starting lineup now, we could see an even more determined Will Barton on the defensive end of the floor. It is somewhat far fetched, but as we have learned in the NBA, anything is possible.