Denver Nuggets: Five former players that would have helped this team
By Dean Hasan
4. J.R. Smith (2008-09)
In Denver’s system, players that can convert from deep and finish at the rim have a spot in the rotation, and the Nuggets version of J.R. Smith excelled at both. Although he might bring some baggage with him, he does fit into Denver’s offensive scheme quite well.
The Nuggets’ have a winning formula with a constantly moving offense that revolves around guards and wings cutting and moving off-ball to locate openings for the Joker’s passing wizardry. Despite playing in Denver for just five seasons, Smith owns the team record for 3-pointers made (and attempted) in both the regular season and the playoffs.
In the 2008-09 season, which was perhaps his best year with the Nuggets, he finished second in Sixth-Man of the Year Award voting after posting averages of 15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game on .446/.397/.754 splits.
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During that campaign, he was rather effective from everywhere, and besides shooting 39.7 percent from deep, he converted on a respectable 58.3 percent of his attempts inside the restricted area, and on looks between 15 and 19 feet from the basket, he shot 44.9 percent.
Smith was consistent as a shooter throughout his time in Nuggets uniform, as he shot at a minimum 39.0 percent from outside the arc in four of his five seasons with the team, and at his best, he splashed 40.3 percent of his triples in the 2007-08 season. He also averaged 13.7 points per game during that stretch, making him a perfect fit for the sixth man role.
His scoring would be especially valuable on this 2019-20 Nuggets squad that ranks 18th in bench scoring with 35.8 points per game. Smith could also be penciled into the starting line up in exchange for Gary Harris, who has struggled this season, shooting just 42.0 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from behind the arc.