Will Barton, Gary Harris are the Keys to Unlocking Denver’s True Potential

The Denver Nuggets have only begun to tap into their true potential. The keys? Gary Harris and Will Barton.

We all knew that the Denver Nuggets had immense potential. They have themselves a young MVP candidate, numerous building blocks and grizzled veteran talent to help the youngsters achieve success. Now it’s just the matter of tapping into that potential.

After playing a do or die finale last season against the Minnesota Timberwolves that cost the Denver Nuggets a playoff birth, they came back this season ready to prove the doubters wrong. However nobody saw this team of youngsters competing with the Golden State Warriors for the #1 seed in the Western Conference.

Whether it was the players completely buying into coach of the year candidate Mike Malone or whether it was just the development of their youngsters along with a more active Paul Millsap, this team has surpassed all expectations. Even after being riddled by injuries to most of their roster, they still managed to stay afloat and secure that second seed.

Now that we have seen what the Nuggets are capable of this season, the next question is can they make a successful playoff run? Can this team shift it to the next gear to compete in the blood bath out west? The answer to both is absolutely.

The key to taking this team to the next level is the health and form of both Gary Harris and Will Barton. As we all know both Barton and Harris have been dealing with numerous injuries that have cost them many games this season. Even when they have returned to action both players have not looked the same. This obviously will not last. Both Harris and Barton are too good to be slumping for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs.

Since returning from his latest injury, Gary Harris has averaged 9.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.9 APG while shooting a poor 37% from the field. Will Barton has averaged 11.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.3 APG while also shooting 37% from the field since his return.

Those numbers aren’t great, but it shows you that the main issue is low shooting percentages. They are getting the opportunities they usually get but they have not scored effectively enough. Their defense will always be there. Both players have shown us that they can be great perimeter defenders when they want to, now it’s just up to their offense to find its way back.

Now that Harris has retained his starting job, he will look to build on any momentum he can muster. The same goes for Barton, a player that the Nuggets rely on to be their primary ball handler at times.

Denver has still won many games, even with both Harris and Barton playing below par. However, this team still has a lot more to show. If both players can return to form and start hitting shots at their usual clip, the Nuggets will be that much more dangerous on both offense and defense.

Once they tap into their full potential, this team will make some serious noise in the playoffs.