Denver Nuggets: Don’t sleep on Will Barton’s impact

Hidden behind the shadows of the Michael Porter Jr. hype, Will Barton has quietly pieced together a stellar season for the Denver Nuggets.

Denver Nuggets‘ forward Will Barton faced a tall task entering this season: Rebound from an underwhelming 2018-19 and re-establish what was a promising career.

He’s done just that, averaging 15.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest, rendering himself quite possibly Denver’s third-best player. Last year’s injury-hampered campaign is a distant memory at this point.

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Barton was infamously booed last playoffs at the Pepsi Center, and is often a target of fan criticism. His starting over Michael Porter Jr. isn’t popular with fans either, which isn’t his fault.

There’s much supporting Barton’s impact, however, as he’s an integral part of Denver’s success. Barton’s +5.8 net rating is actually higher than Nikola Jokic‘s (+5.2) and his 3.7 assists per game are third-most on the squad. Despite being undersized, Barton is Denver’s 2nd-best rebounder… his 6.3 boards per contest leads big men Paul Millsap, Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee. He also holds a solid 106.9 defensive rating, which is second-best among Nuggets starters.

The postseason often features a team’s top two players, so Jokic and Murray should play an integral role. But history has shown a third star can affect late-game play, whether it’s draining a clutch shot, finishing an important layup, etc.

The Nuggets lacked offense outside of Jokic and Murray throughout last year’s conference semifinals. Now healthy and thriving, Barton has a chance to rewrite the narrative, inserting himself in key playoff moments.

Barton can lift the Nuggets in the following ways come playoff time:

Shot-maker:

Last year’s postseason exposed a disturbing shooting deficiency for the Denver Nuggets, as they averaged just 9.6 3-point makes per game (fourth-lowest among playoff teams). Knocking down these attempts is paramount, as it discourages defenses from double-teaming a superstar. Due to Denver’s inconsistent marksmanship, both the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers frequently double-covered Jokic without suffering severe consequences.

Throughout this season, Barton’s connected on a career-best 37.5 percent from 3-point range. He’s draining at a higher clip than fellow starters Jamal Murray (34.5 percent), and Gary Harris (33.3 percent), which few expected entering the season.

Barton sits tied with Murray at a team-best 1.9 3-point makes per game. Barton’s combination of high percentage and volume renders him a strong kick-out option.

Scoring as a slasher

Another issue in last year’s playoffs involved lack of dribble-drive attackers pressuring opposing defenses. Jokic forces defenses to collapse in the post, but isn’t a dribble-drive slasher (few bigs are). Murray does this to some level, but lacks the quickness to straight-up beat people, often settling for his specialty mid-range pull-up.

Barton, meanwhile has the quickness, athleticism and handle to beat the primary defender and finish at the cup. This was hampered last year due to injury, perhaps the biggest blow to his game. However, he’s back this year as an instrumental attacker, challenging his defender one-on-one or running the pick-and-roll with Jokic.

Per Basketball-Reference, Barton actually leads the Denver Nuggets in attempts at the rim with 3.64 dunk/layup tries per game. He attacks the cup better than anyone on the squad, which is a great way to pressure opposing defenses in a slashing role.

Creating offense for others:

Because Barton excels in getting to the basket, there’re plenty of assist opportunities. His 3.7 dimes per game rank third-best on the squad, trailing only Jokic and Murray.

While Murray is known for running the two-man game with Jokic, Barton is a frequent participant as well. Spacing Murray and Barton on opposite sides of the court is a good strategy, as a swing pass quickly shifts the pick-and-roll threat from one side to the other.

Barton often beats his man off the dribble, creating open looks for teammates once the defense collapses. While Murray possesses a more lethal step-back jumper, Barton has a crafty quickness that surprises defenses and gets him to the rack. Multiple pick-and-roll drivers are helpful in the playoffs, as this keeps defenses off balance.