Denver Nuggets: What will we remember about the Will Barton era?

It’s getting close to midnight for Will Barton and his time with the Denver Nuggets may soon be at an end.

Hard to believe considering all the spine-chilling moments he has given Mile High Basketball fans over the years. Sometimes it feels like the clock is frozen watching Thrill’s progress since he arrived in Denver eight years ago, and other periods seem to fly by in the blink of an eye.

The 31-year-old Barton picked up his pick-ax from a young age and went to work, earning everything he has achieved and carving out a path to success the hard way. Thrill is no stranger to being doubted, booed, and generally hated by fans and opposition alike.

He’s had to learn how to be true to himself and stick to his goals throughout his career and now holds the title for most 3-pointers in Denver Nuggets history, outpacing previous record-holder J.R. Smith who set the bar at 769.

The Memphis product has made a name for himself and found a home in Denver. He has earned the trust of Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone and was served a heaping portion of minutes in the 2021-22 season, receiving an average of 30-plus minutes of court time for the third consecutive year as Denver’s defacto small forward.

Barton’s two-year, $30 million deal that he signed with Denver last offseason will keep him around for the 2022-23 campaign unless he is traded, and rumors are heating up that a trade could be a real possibility. Matt Moore, The Action Network recently reported that Barton, among others, is available in trade talks.

Some of the hate Barton gets seems warranted, as fans hearken back to Thrill’s nine-second iso on Draymond Green in the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors with the Nuggets down and needing a bucket, only to see an errant 3-pointer come crashing down along with the Nuggets’ 2021-22 championship hopes.

It’s a hard sell to score on a former Defensive Player of the Year on most nights but in a late-game situation with the game in the balance, it’s even harder. But that’s the supreme confidence that Will Barton has in his game.

He can also be a beam of light in the locker room, a spark plug on the court and a veteran young Nuggets look up to as Denver tries to keep the culture together without Tim Connelly.

The effort is there with Barton, and his 14.7 points per game were a welcome sight in 2021-22 alongside MVP Nikola Jokic as the Nuggets desperately looked to replace the scoring Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. were giving them.

Realistic expectations often come under the microscope when studying Barton’s time in Denver. Many would argue that Barton’s inability to rise to the challenge of giving Malone at least 20 points a game with all the minutes he could ask for is the cause of the negative energy from some fans.

He’s an extremely athletic finisher and can find a shot almost every time down the court, just it’s not always in the flow of the offense. Because of this, Malone has moved Barton across the team, treating him as a starting wing, a bench scorer, and more.

Thrill is exciting to watch and can fill it up at times. His game is fine-crafted for entertainment but is not overly efficient.

It would be unfair to Will Barton to hyper-focus on the moments when he has played badly and refuse to give him credit when he has played well. Studying the timeline of Barton’s tenure in Denver gives you an opportunity to work on looking at the big picture.

Will Barton’s time in Denver is similar to life, there are ups and there are downs and it’s up to you individually to decide how much positive spin is deserved when given the facts of a situation. Barton’s scoring and athleticism have kept the Nuggets competitive while young draft picks like Monte Morris and Nikola Jokic blossomed.

Now that Denver’s stars have been established, it’s smart to question how the Barton amoeba will mold to fit this new environment in 2022-23. Barton’s refusal to alter his approach or come off the bench could eventually cause issues to bubble up once again, but for now, Thrill’s tools are solid enough to give Malone another option as we wait for next season.

It can be good, bad, ugly, and sometimes downright scary aboard the Will Barton Thrillercoaster, but no refunds are being issued and Michael just sat down with some popcorn.