Mile High Maniac
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Emmanuel Mudiay Developing Before Our Eyes

By Matthew Schoettler

Jan 23, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) handles the ball during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) handles the ball during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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Emmanuel Mudiay continues to develop as the 2015-2016 season progresses, showing flashes of the elite point guard the Denver Nuggets envisioned.

The Denver Nuggets selected Emmanuel Mudiay with the seventh pick in the 2015 NBA Draft after he played one professional season in China. Several teams had Emmanuel Mudiay atop their big boards; however, an ankle injury slowed his development while playing professionally overseas. Emmanuel Mudiay decided to bypass collegiate basketball by playing in China, which figures to see an increase in the upcoming years.

Next: Tim Connelly: Nuggets Extend GM

After selecting Emmanuel Mudiay with the seventh pick in last year’s draft, the Denver Nuggets decided to part ways with Ty Lawson, who had several run-ins with the law while in Denver. By trading Ty Lawson, the Denver Nuggets, ultimately, handed the keys to the team over to Emmanuel Mudiay. Emmanuel Mudiay opened the season as the starting point guard; however, he struggled out of the gate for the Denver Nuggets.

Due to Emmanuel Mudiay’s struggles, his minutes took a dip, as he saw Jameer Nelson see an increased workload in the process. 23 games into the season, Emmanuel Mudiay suffered an ankle injury that forced the star rookie to miss 14 games. However, the ankle injury seems to be a blessing in disguise for Emmanuel Mudiay, because he has seen his play improve since returning to the court for the Denver Nuggets. 

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Before the ankle injury, Emmanuel Mudiay shot 40 percent or better from the field only four times in 23 games game, but after returning from the injury, Mudiay has matched that percentage in four out of eight games. Also, Emmanuel Mudiay scored double digits in every game, except one, since returning from the injury.

Emmanuel Mudiay has seen his points per game and turnovers per game trend in a better direction after recovering from his injury. Before the ankle injury, Emmanuel Mudiay posted 10.7 points and 4.0 turnovers, but since returning to the court, he averages 12.0 points and 3.7 turnovers per game. However, the downfall to Emmanuel Mudiay’s play is that his assist-to-turnover ratio needs improvement, averaging just 1.54 assists per turnover.

Now that Emmanuel Mudiay has improved on his shot after the injury, he needs to improve on his ball distribution skills to vault himself into the next level of point guards. Granted, the NBA game is the fastest level of basketball in the world, so Emmanuel Mudiay is catching up to speed as he transitions from China to the NBA.

Despite missing 14 games during the season, Emmanuel Mudiay earned a nomination to the Rising Stars World Team during the upcoming NBA All-Star break. Emmanuel Mudiay will join fellow teammate Nikola Jokic on the World Team, with Mudiay being from the Democratic Republic of Congo. With the nomination, Emmanuel Mudiay has the chance to showcase his talents against the other great rising stars within the NBA.

Next: Tim Connelly: Nuggets Extend GM

Expect Emmanuel Mudiay to pick up the pace in the second-half of the season. If he steadily improves over the latter portion of the season, Emmanuel Mudiay could vault himself into Rookie of the Year considerations. The future of the Denver Nuggets looks bright with the likes of Emmanuel Mudiay heading the offense.

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