Denver Nuggets: 3 reasons Will Barton’s new deal is a good move
1. Barton has earned the risk
Will Barton has earned his pending contract with the Denver Nuggets, that’s no secret. He averaged a career-high 15.7 points along with 5.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in 2017-18. Of the 81 games he appeared in, he started in 40 of them. He set a new career-high in points with 37 against the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 30.
In his third full season with the Nuggets, he’s come into his own, shooting 45.2 percent from the floor and 37 percent from 3-point range. Denver’s willingness to trade Wilson Chandler this offseason was mostly about cap space, but it also showed just how loyal it was to Barton and how much faith it has in his ability to lock down the starting job on the wing.
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Barton didn’t get the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award or Sixth Man of the Year, but his contributions didn’t go unnoticed by the front office. Now comes the real fun with a potential lineup of Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Nikola Jokic, Will Barton and Paul Millsap ruling the day. That lineup should pay dividends for the Nuggets going forward.