Denver Nuggets: What’s Wrong With Ty Lawson?

The Denver Nuggets have looked like a new team since firing head coach Brian Shaw. They’ve racked up seven wins in 12 games despite these stretch of games being one of the toughest the Nuggets will have all season (seriously, interim head coach Melvin Hunt has already been pitted against the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets twice, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors).

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Some players, like Danilo Gallinari, who went for a career high 40 points in the win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday, are thriving Nuggets once again. Most, in fact, seem to be shooting, playing and enjoying the game better than when they were still under Shaw.

One player, though, hasn’t quite found his groove under the new coach, and unfortunately, it’s the Nuggets’ best player who is struggling.

Ty Lawson hasn’t been the Ty Lawson Nuggets fans are used to seeing. We haven’t seen the speedy guard take over a game with his scoring for over a couple of months, and his aggressiveness has visibly waned under Coach Hunt. In the loss last Friday to the Miami Heat, Lawson passed up a few layup attempts to try and get the ball to his teammates.

Mar 7, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) drives to the basket past Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) during the first half at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

If there’s one thing that six seasons with the former North Carolina Tar Heel has thought Nuggets fans, it’s that Lawson isn’t nearly as good when he’s not playing aggressive basketball or when he’s not playing with a scorer’s mentality.

The difference has already shown up on the stat sheet as well. Before Brian Shaw was dismissed as head coach on Mar. 2, Lawson was averaging 16.3 points, 10.0 assists and 3.3 rebounds a game. He was clearly the best Nuggets player for the vast majority of this season, and he was the reason they were able to win any games when things went south with Shaw.

Under Melvin Hunt, the star point guard just hasn’t had the same productivity, and Danilo Gallinari is making a strong case for “best player” on the team right now with his scoring outbursts. Lawson is averaging 11.2 points (a decrease of 5.1 points a game), 9.2 assists (a decrease of 0.8), and 3.8 rebounds (an increase 0.5 rebounds) a game. Against the Magic on Sunday, Lawson only attempted two shots, and finished the game with zero points, eight assists and three rebounds.

Yes, the Nuggets won the game. Yes, they actually won by 19 points, but when did it become acceptable for the team’s best player to only take TWO SHOTS from the field for the entire game?

It’s cause for concern for Nuggets fans when thinking about the point guard. For the Nuggets to get back to the playoffs in the Western Conference in the next couple of years, they’re going to need Lawson at his best – it’s simply too tough of a conference for a team to make it while their best player is being passive. Add in the off the court issues from this season, and the worry warts begin to show.

Melvin Hunt claims the statistics aren’t telling the story about his starting point guard.

“I’m not going to get lost in the distraction of his numbers,” Hunt told The Denver Post. “I’m getting lost in his leadership… Don’t tell Ty his numbers are down because he’s playing some of the best basketball I’ve seen him play in my five years (here).”

I think Hunt’s telling a better story than the stats. It takes time for a point guard to adjust to a new system; it’s like giving a quarterback a new playbook midseason. Yes, Lawson’s numbers are down, but he hasn’t been in the news for his off the court actions lately. Most importantly, the Nuggets are winning, and Lawson’s bound to make Melvin Hunt’s record even better once he finds his aggressiveness.

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