The Denver Nuggets are preparing to weather another storm as the 2021 season approaches. The Nuggets will embark on a hopeful journey to an NBA championship without the services of their best scorer and one of their biggest leaders in Jamal Murray while he recovers from a torn ACL suffered against the Golden State Warriors on April 12th last season.
A year ago today, Jamal Murray dropped 50 PTS and forced a Game 7 for the @nuggets 😤 pic.twitter.com/t6st2vVk69
— NBA TV (@NBATV) August 30, 2021
This is where 30-year-old Will Barton and 29-year-old Austin Rivers will become pivotal in keeping the Nuggets afloat while Murray mends. Will Barton returns to Denver on a two-year $32 million deal that makes him the fourth-highest paid player on the team for 2021. The Nuggets made Rivers’ one-year deal official on Tuesday and will look to him early and often as a source of offensive production in the wake of Murray’s injury.
The #Nuggets make it officially official: Austin Rivers is back on a multiyear deal, team announces.
— Mike Singer (@msinger) September 1, 2021
Denver has put themselves in a position to be successful without Murray as long as these two guards perform, especially Barton. We take a look at what to expect from Barton and Rivers individually in 2021 and if their services will be enough to power the Nuggets while Murray recovers.