Denver Nuggets: Emmanuel Mudiay is finding his way

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images /
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Emmanuel Mudiay struggled through two seasons as a starter before moving to the bench late last season. This year, he has been more efficient in a backup role.

The Denver Nuggets took a chance on Emmanuel Mudiay in 2015, taking him with the seventh overall pick after an injury-plagued season in China. He failed to meet expectations in his first two seasons and ended the season in Mike Malone’s doghouse.

This season, Mudiay has moved into a new role and has found new life in that role. Mudiay started 107 of his first 123 games but has not entered the starting lineup once this season. He has responded with better shooting numbers while keeping his scoring constant.

While the small sample size of the early season may be helping Mudiay, he might be well-suited for a bench role going forward. His remarkable athletic tools and size give him an advantage against any bench point guard — an advantage that is diminished against the league’s best point guards. Either way, Mudiay’s early season success bodes well for a player who looked to be on his way out of the league at times last season.

Deep shooting: Too good to be true?

Emmanuel Mudiay’s lack of a jump shot was his biggest weakness entering the 2015 NBA Draft. His athletic gifts and passing vision led the Denver Nuggets to select him anyway. In his first two seasons, that lack of a jump shot dogged Mudiay on every play.

During his first two seasons in the league, teams consistently went under on pick-and-rolls against Mudiay and gave him free rein to take shots from deep. He could not take advantage of that space. Mudiay shot only 36.9 percent from the field in his first two years in the league, and only 31.7 percent from deep.

The sample size of the young season is still small, but Mudiay has been able to take advantage of opposing bench units more than he ever has against starting lineups. Prior to Sunday night’s game against the Lakers, Mudiay was shooting 43.8 percent from the field and an impressive 47.4 percent from deep.

He is showing far more confidence when opponents ignore him from beyond the arc, shooting a career-high 46.5 percent:

Mudiay’s numbers from long range are probably too good to be true. However, his overall shooting numbers are far less likely to be a mirage. Even if his long-range percentage is unlikely to remain above 45 percent by the end of the season, he certainly looks more comfortable out there than he previously did.

Furthermore, his overall shooting numbers are better than in his first two seasons. A drop-off may be in Mudiay’s future, but he would have to fall quite a long way to fall back to his rough shooting marks from his first two years in the NBA.

More time on-ball for Mudiay

Moving Emmanuel Mudiay to the bench has helped the Denver Nuggets in more than one way. Mudiay is best with the ball in his hands, but playing alongside Nikola Jokic necessitates playing a complementary role on offense. Jamal Murray might have some ball-hogging tendencies, but he is ultimately a combo guard that fits well as a secondary ball-handler.

Mudiay’s Usage Rate has gone up slightly from last season–his Usage Rate is 23.9 percent, an uptick over his 22.6 percent usage from last year. He is playing slightly fewer minutes per game. However, his scoring has gone up in his new role off the bench–from 11 points per game last year to 12.0 per game. Mudiay can run the offense when he is in the game or toss the ball to Will Barton to run the show.

Young players always take more time to develop than their fans are willing to give them. The Denver Nuggets also seemingly gave up on Mudiay down the stretch of last season when they left him to languish on the bench.

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However, young point guards and centers are almost never ready right away–just look at Steve Nash and Kyle Lowry. Emmanuel Mudiay is not on that level, but he is still only 21 years old. Given how much better he has looked in this young season, his time to shine may still be ahead of him.