Will Barton: 6th Man of the Year Candidate?

Will Barton so far this season has become one of the better surprises for a somewhat disappointing Denver Nuggets team.

A former second round pick from the University of Memphis, Barton is now in his first full year in a Nuggets uniform after spending his first 3 seasons as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. Thus far in the 2015-2016 regular season, Will Barton is second on the Denver Nuggets in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per contest. Will Barton has only started 2 games for Denver, while he has come off the bench in 39 contests. In his 39 games as a reserve, Barton is averaging over 29 minutes per game.

Next: Kenneth Faried: Expendable Piece for Nuggets?

Throughout the Denver Nuggets injury-riddled campaign, Will Barton has emerged as one of the primary scoring threats for the team. When Danilo Gallinari missed over two weeks due to an ankle injury, and in the nearly month long absence of Emmanuel Mudiay, Will Barton stepped up, averaging 20.8 points per game in the month of December. Given how well he has played throughout this season, and his contributions to the Nuggets, is Will Barton a 6th Man of the Year candidate in the NBA?

I believe the answer is a resounding yes. Will Barton is currently the 10th leading small forward in the league, and is led by the likes of Kevin Durant, Lebron James, Kawhi Leonard, Rudy Gay, Gordon Hayward, Paul George, and his own teammate, Danilo Gallinari. Barton is the only reserve to have such high scoring numbers at the position, and is even ahead of other starters in the league such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jae Crowder, and Kent Bazemore. In scoring per 48 minutes, Will Barton is 9th in the league, averaging 25.6 points.

More from Mile High Maniac

Will Barton is 39th in the NBA in scoring, and is the only player in the top 40 NBA scorers that is a reserve. No other reserve on any other team can compare to Barton’s scoring ability off the bench this season. Without Will Barton’s contributions, the Denver Nuggets could have folded over a month ago, but big shot after big shot, he continues to show his worth to his team.

Head Coach Michael Malone has not really cemented a set rotation this season, deciding instead to cycle his reserves depending on the game in order to give his team the best match ups possible. Will Barton is the only consistency when coming off the bench. While his defensive play leaves much desired, there is no substitute for consistent offensive output.

One may argue that Will Barton is a pure volume shooter, getting most of his points as a result of many shot attempts on a nightly basis, but when a team like the Nuggets struggle to score consistently at times, the fact that the Denver forward is capable of sinking a big shot at any given time gives the team a chance whenever he is on the court.