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After having his best season in the NBA last year, Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton made a lot of heads turn with his scoring ability and the energy he provided off the bench.
The 25-year-old entered last season as a relatively unknown especially after only appearing in 28 games the previous year and bounced between the D-League and the Nuggets. He was only expected to come off the bench and receive limited minutes.
But things changed when his team was hit with an influx of injuries back in December. The coaching staff had no choice but to give Barton a huge chunk of the minutes and take on a bigger role, in which the Memphis product took advantage of. He ended that month with a 20.8 scoring average while shooting 39.3% from beyond the arc. His minutes also increased to 32.9 and field goal attempts to almost five more a game.
Barton appeared in all 82 games for Denver last season and became one of the go-to-guys of the team. He ended fifth in voting for the Sixth Man of the Year award and was certainly considered one of the most improved players of the league. No wonder, other teams showed interest in the former 40th overall pick of the 2012 draft.
Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post reported that teams called to inquire about the Nuggets' rising star and offered first-round picks for his services. It is almost a no-brainer for teams needing help at the wing spots to make an offer for the five-year pro as he is still young, and sitting on a team-friendly contract for the next two years.
“Barton, meanwhile, is in constant search of a chip on his shoulder to lean on. Years past it has been easier to find. Now he’s being praised after a breakout season that landed him in the thick of the conversation for postseason awards, that had other teams offering first-round picks to nab him, and that had opponents highlighting him on scouting reports as a player to stop.”
Head coach Mike Malone is expecting the return of Wilson Chandler this coming season, and with the addition of rookie Jamal Murray, the 45-year-old bench tactician will have a difficult time sharing the minutes at shooting guard. It will be very hard to imagine Barton receiving the same amount of minutes given the depth they'll have this year.
Given the scenario, it made other teams more interested in him and made offers to the Nuggets front office. Though nothing materialized, it will be very interesting to see how things will unfold in Denver this season and will be something worth monitoring.
