Denver Nuggets swingman Will Barton has been a welcome addition to the fold since returning from injury in January, something that big man Mason Plumlee can attest to, especially after dishing out dimes such as this:

There was so much sauce going on in that one sequence that it's almost easy to forget that the Nuggets would not be able to hold on for the victory against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night. The dazzling assist from Barton was one of his three on the evening, adding eight points and eight rebounds on the heels of having posted a double-double last time out.

The Nuggets boast an embarrassment of riches on the wing in terms of talent, but it appears Barton has a stronghold on minutes and a starting spot for reasons such as we just saw. Having had surgery on his right hip that has limited him to just 23 games, Barton hasn't yet been able to replicate his numbers from last season, but has shown signs of coming around since the All-Star break, averaging 13 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest in his five outings.

The seventh year wing hasn't been to the postseason since he was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2013-14, serving in a bench role. With the Nuggets currently hanging onto the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, it appears Barton's second taste of the postseason is going to be vastly different, as he'll be slotted into a crucial role for a team looking to topple a daunting collaboration of talent across the league in order to bring the Denver franchise their first playoff series win since 2008-09.