Denver Nuggets: 3 reasons Isaiah Thomas is a good addition
2. Denver becomes even deadlier from 3-point range
Last season, the Nuggets finished eighth in 3-point frequency. Additionally, they hit 37.1 percent of their shots from behind the arc. One could argue that these numbers should have been even higher, especially when considering a lineup of Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris, Trey Lyles and Will Barton all shot above league-average from deep.
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Isaiah Thomas can turn this team from a good 3-point shooting team into an elite one. Denver finished with the 10th best 3-point percentage last season, and moving into the top five could see them escape the Western Conference with a playoff spot. The ability of Thomas to expand the floor with his shooting range will only open up more passing lanes for Jokic to operate.
In Boston, where Thomas played a style of hoops most similar to Malone’s new look offense, he developed a knack for drilling corner 3s. For example, Thomas averaged 45 percent on corner triples during his stint in Beantown. Imagining a super small lineup of Thomas, Murray, Harris, Lyles and Jokic should make 3-point enthusiasts melt. Considering Gary Harris played 49 percent of his minutes at the 3 last year, this lineup could be a possibility.
To get you excited about how his knockdown 3-point ability will impact the Nuggets, here is a clip of all the triples Thomas hit during the best year of his career. He nailed so many shots from deep that this clip had to be broken into two parts.