Denver Nuggets: Emmanuel Mudiay’s Debut Impressive Despite Turnovers

This may seem like an opening night overreaction, but I’ve been saying it all summer: the 2015-16 Denver Nuggets have a chance to be better than the Western Conference bottom-feeder everyone’s projecting them to be. After a stunning 105-85 victory in their season opener against the Houston Rockets Wednesday night, the Nuggets have provided the first bit of tangible evidence to reinforce that idea.

For Denver diehards, the game was satisfying on a number of levels. Not only was it a 20-point win, on the road, against a team that some are pegging as a dark horse title contender in the West, but it also came in the team’s first rematch with recently departed point guard Ty Lawson.

Speaking of point guards, it didn’t hurt that Nuggets rookie Emmanuel Mudiay shined his NBA debut.

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While Lawson struggled to the tune of 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting, Mudiay had a sensational game, racking up 17 points on an efficient 6-of-13 night (3-for-5 from three-point range) and adding in nine assists. His superb court vision was on display and he chipped in five rebounds for good measure.

A quick look at the box score will bring his debut down a few notches when you notice the “11” sitting there in the turnover column, and that was a cause for concern for Mudiay in NBA Summer League and preseason play. His 11 turnovers were actually the most in any NBA debut since turnovers started being recorded in 1977-78, per ESPN Stats & Info.

But, as is the case with any eye-popping stat like that, the proper context is needed.

For those who actually sat down and watched the game, a lot of Mudiay’s turnovers were just careless mistakes that can be corrected with time. At the very least, it should be reassuring to Nuggets fans that their new point guard is handling the ball so much and making mistakes; this trial by fire will make him a better player in the end.

While Byron Scott has D’Angelo Russell — the Los Angeles Lakers’ promising new franchise point guard — sitting in the corner as a 2-guard with Jordan Clarkson playing point, head coach Michael Malone is giving Mudiay the chance to hone his craft as an NBA floor general right from the start.

On an even more encouraging note, only five of those 11 turnovers were “bad pass” turnovers. It’s worth noting that turnover-prone rookie point guards bearing as much responsibility as Mudiay does have mostly gone on to do some pretty great things:

With the ball in Mudiay’s hands, the Denver’s offense hummed — yes, even with the 11 turnovers. His nine assists were the most ever by a Nuggets player in their debut, and he looked pretty darn composed for a 19-year-old with no NBA experience. It appears his decision to play professional basketball internationally has prepared him well for the game’s biggest stage.

In the pick-and-roll, Mudiay displayed the kind of patience and court vision you just don’t often see from rookies his age. Watch him here as he hesitates coming off the screen, stoically attacks the rim to lure the defense in and finds Darrell Arthur on the roll once the help defender commits just a hair too far:

Sure, that play came against Montrezl Harrell, another NBA rookie. But the point still stands: Mudiay has superb court vision and his ability to manipulate pick-and-roll defenses is already impressive.

The way he waits to find the right opening is reminiscent of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, one of the more patient backs in the NFL who waits for his hole to open up before exploding through it. Mudiay has that same temperament to wait and see what the defense will give him before exploiting it.

It wasn’t just the roll guy that he found in pick-and-roll sets either. Here, you can see him snake his way to the paint out of a Kenneth Faried screen before finding Randy Foye wide open in the corner when the weak-side defense collapses too far:

According to NBA.com, Mudiay’s teammates made 10 of their 15 shot attempts (66.7 percent) following a pass/assist from Mudiay Wednesday night. It’s only one game, but a number like that shows this young point guard is capable of finding his teammates in the right spots to give them a better chance at success.

At age 19, Mudiay is being asked to replace a player who, for all his off-court troubles, was a very good floor general and set-up man on offense. It’s only been one game, but the court vision and patience that Mudiay displayed against the Rockets is an encouraging start and a sign of things to come.

Even with the 11 turnovers.

Next: NBA: Top 10 Candidates For 2015-16 Rookie Of The Year

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