The Denver Nuggets have had an up and down offense this season. Thankfully, Will Barton will could be the fix for this when he returns.
The Denver Nuggets suffered a blow to their core at the start of the season when Will Barton went down to injury.
So far this season, the Nuggets have an offense which is ranked 11th in offensive efficiency according to teamrankings.com which is a major downgrade from last season where they were ranked fourth in this particular category.
However, we have to keep in mind that we have not even reached the middle of the season. Will Barton was promoted to the starting rotation this season and a big part of this reason is due to his ability to score in bunches.
Barton was averaging a career high 16.5 points per game and was also averaging an effective field goal percentage of 69% before he went down with injury in the game against the Phoenix Suns. Not to mention, he currently possesses an offensive rating of a sky high 132 which is by far a career high so far.
He also is averaging a true shooting percentage of 72.5% to go along with a three point percentage of 55.6%. This couples with his career three point percentage of 34.2% and he is also an avid free throw shooter.
Barton is a career 79.1% free throw shooter and is averaging a perfect percentage so far this year. The Denver Nuggets are currently ranked 16th in points per game at 110.1 per game which is a far cry from last year’s ranking of sixth in the entire league. However, with Will Barton being out and Isaiah Thomas yet to play his first game in a Denver uniform, we can safely assume this area will improve.
Especially when you take a look at how well Barton was playing offensively before he got injured.
As a result, Will Barton could very well be the missing link to Denver’s high powered offense.