Denver Nuggets: 3 Expectations for Will Barton

Fresh off of the Nuggets Media Day it’s time to look at how we expect the Nuggets players to grow and what we think they can accomplish.

With the trade of Wilson Chandler and the signing of Will Barton, the Nuggets signalled that the underappreciated Barton was integral in the club’s plans for the future.

Barton can be a polarizing figure for Nuggets fans, he had a stretch last season where he took a potential game winning shot in consecutive games and missed.  That irritated fans who thought there were better options for clutch time.

As it turns out, Barton is the Nuggets best clutch player as shown here. In the final five minutes of games that were within five points either way, nobody on the Nuggets performed better than Barton.  That clutch play coupled with Barton’s willingness to be Denver’s jack-of-all-trades netted Barton a four-year, $53 million contract extension over the summer.

Fans may waver on Barton’s value but the Nuggets do not.  Barton is every bit as much a part of Denver’s Core as Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Nikola Jokic.  For better or worse, Barton’s versatility has given his mates room to develop.  Sometimes that looks like craziness, sometimes brilliance.

What can Barton do to propel the Nuggets to a deep playoff run?