A week-and-a-half ago, Denver Nuggets forward Will Barton finally returned from a hip injury that had kept him out for much of the season. While Barton has not exactly been shooting the ball well since his return, he says he has gotten his confidence back,
“My confidence is back,” Barton said at shootaround on Wednesday, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “Now that I’m over the joy, it’s time to get back to who I am. It’s a process, going from stage to stage. At first you’re just happy and blessed that you’re back, you don’t want to think about nothing, just happy to be playing, no matter how many minutes you’re playing. You just want to be one of the guys because you’ve been away for so long.”
Barton returned on Jan. 12 and has played four games since then, averaging 7.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists over 18.5 minutes per game. Meanwhile, he's shooting just 26.5 percent from the floor, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.
In spite of his early struggles, Barton says he is ready to take the next step.
“It’s time to take it to the next step and become the player I was, who I am and be even better than that,” Barton said. “I’m onto that stage now.”
The 28-year-old also said that it is not hard for him to motivate himself.
“Through the little minutes I’ve been playing in the games, my workouts, getting any type of practice that we can, watching film, old film of me, other players,” Barton said. “I get inspired by anything. It’s not really hard for me. I set big goals for myself. I have to have confidence to live up to who I want to be.”
Barton is in his fourth season with the Nuggets. He averaged a career-high 15.7 points per game last year.
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