How Will Barton’s injury impacts the Denver Nuggets going forward
How the starting lineup is affected
Obviously, Barton will not be in the starting lineup for the next month and a half, so someone is going to have to take his place. Here are the top candidates to do so.
Denver Nuggets
Torrey Craig: Craig is probably the best bet to fill Barton’s place. He was Mike Malone’s quick replacement against the Warriors, and he held his own against one of the best offensive talents in NBA history in Kevin Durant. Although he doesn’t quite match the Thrill’s offensive output, Craig is a very capable defender. So far this season, he has a DBPM of +7.1 and a DRtg of 96, 3rd and 6th best on the Nuggets respectively. He may still be working on a 3-point shot(1-6 from deep this season), but I expect him to get better as the season progresses. He started 5 games as a two-way player last year, he will likely be the starter for the next month or so as well.
Juan Hernangomez: After a very solid preseason and a pretty good start to the regular season, Juancho is also a strong candidate for a role in the starting 5. After a season plagued with injury last year, Hernangomez is looking to bounce back. So far, the signs are encouraging that he will. He is averaging 5.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 42.9% from 3-point range. He also came up with an incredibly clutch block on Damian Jones in the waning seconds of the game on Sunday’s close win against the Warriors. He has looked better on defense than he ever has before, and he presents a much stronger offensive game than Torrey Craig. He would be another solid option at the 3.
Monte Morris: While it may seem a bit strange to have 3 guards on the starting lineup, just remember: this is what the Nuggets were already doing. Will Barton is a shooting guard, but as the league gets smaller and favors shiftiness and handling ability over post-up plays and dominant big men, we will start seeing more and more of these types of lineups. Morris doesn’t offer much on the defensive side of the ball, but that isn’t where the Nuggets have struggled so far this season. Bringing Morris into the Nuggets’ starting 5 could help counteract the struggles that have led the Nuggets to the 3rd worst 3-point percentage and the 8th worst true shooting percentage in the league so far.