Is Ty Lawson Playing Like An All-Star?
In the absence of Danilo Gallinari someone needed to step up for the Denver Nuggets. Luckily for Denver, former North Carolina Tar Heel Ty Lawson decided to be that man. Eleven games into a crossroad season Lawson has established himself as an early All-Star candidate. After a breakout 2011-2012 season, Lawson had minimal improvement in 2012-2013. If 2013-2014 turned out to be another stagnant year for Lawson, the Nuggets could have been trouble. With Andre Iguodala in Golden State and Gallinari hurt for the first part of the season, it was clear that this is Lawson’s team. To say Lawson has stepped up is an understatement. The 5th year man is on pace for career highs in scoring, rebounding, and passing. Take a look:
| Season | Tm | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | DEN | 65 | 20.3 | .515 | .410 | .757 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 8.3 |
| 2010-11 | DEN | 80 | 26.3 | .503 | .404 | .764 | 2.6 | 4.7 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 11.7 |
| 2011-12 | DEN | 61 | 34.8 | .488 | .365 | .824 | 3.7 | 6.6 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 16.4 |
| 2012-13 | DEN | 73 | 34.4 | .461 | .366 | .756 | 2.7 | 6.9 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 2.5 | 16.7 |
| 2013-14 | DEN | 10 | 36.9 | .455 | .317 | .786 | 4.4 | 8.6 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 22.0 |
| Career | 289 | 29.2 | .484 | .377 | .775 | 2.8 | 5.4 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 13.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/21/2013.
Part of Lawson’ success this year has been his increased aggressiveness. Throughout his career Lawson has averaged 10.3 field goal attempts per game. In 2013, Lawson has pumped that number up to 16.7. That additional aggressiveness has also lead to more free throw attempts. Lawson is attempting a career high seven free throws per game, up from his 3.3 career average. The best thing about the new aggressive Ty Lawson? He’s not making mistakes. Usually when a player tries to be to aggressive he does too much and turns the ball over. So far this season Lawson has avoided turnovers despite playing a career high 36.9 minutes per contest. In fact, his 3.19 assist to turnover ratio is up from his 2.76 mark from last year. A smarter Lawson equals a better Lawson. Lets dig a little deeper into the numbers. Here are some of Lawson’s sabermeteric stats:
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/21/2013.
Lawon’s PER is up almost 6 points from last year. Additionally his true shooting percentage has not dipped greatly over the last three seasons despite his increased playing time. The two most significant things I notice? One: His improvement in FTr (free throw attempt per field goal attempt). The major improvement in this department further supports that fact that his aggressive play has helped his game. Two: How his assist percentage increased by 8% while his turnover percentage decreased by 2%. I find that amazing and I am curious to see if he can keep it up.
Lawson has stepped up this season Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com
It’s very early in the season, but I think Lawson is playing like a top five point guard. The only point guard in the league that is outplaying him is Chris Paul. Other than that, he is in the conversation for the second best guard this season. Among point guards only Russell Westbrook averages more points per game. Additionally, Lawson is top five in rebounding and double-doubles. He ranks sixth in the NBA in assists. He is playing at an All-Star level. Let’s see if he can keep this up.
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