Denver Nuggets: 3 reasons to love re-signing Will Barton
By Adam Taylor
3 reasons to love re-signing Will Barton: Better the devil you know
In Will Barton, the Denver Nuggets have a player they know inside and out. Barton’s teammates know his sweet spots, weak points, and tendencies on both sides of the floor. There’s no bedding in process or waiting for a new signing to find their feet within the offense.
Will Barton has been molded into the perfect cog for Michael Malone’s offense, as shown by his 20 percent usage rate (on average) throughout his Denver Nuggets career – per Cleaning The Glass.
The feeling-out process works both ways, too, as Barton doesn’t need to find a new place to live, learn a new offense, or figure out new teammates. Rather, both sides can continue with business as usual, with a laser focus on righting the cosmic wrongs of last season.
Furthermore, there’s little-to-no risk factor in this deal. Both sides understand the partnership they’re entering into; it’s not like a new signing that carries a great risk of being a square peg for a round hole – the fit is already battle-tested and universally accepted as beneficial to both parties.
For a contending team, it’s always better the devil, you know – that’s why so many coaches on contending teams bring in players they’ve previously worked with. They say familiarity breeds contempt, but it breeds successful relationships in the NBA and potential large-scale success in Will Barton’s case.