Wilson Chandler’s favorite subject isn’t necessarily Wilson Chandler. But he is definitely one of the most popular subjects on a Nuggets team that has won consecutive games and is trying to climb out of a 2-7 hole.
His 21 points on Wednesday against Oklahoma City were a season-high. He also had nine rebounds in his best offensive game this season.
“He’s getting more and more comfortable, more and more confident,” Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. “And he’s doing a lot of different things – rebounding, pushing the ball himself, posting up, spotting up hitting jumpers, on the move and in catch-and-shoot situations. It’s what we need from him. Especially as (Danilo Gallinari) is trying to get his feet under him and get going. I can’t say enough about Wilson. He’s been good. He’s been one of our most solid and consistent players from training camp all the way until now.”
In the four Nuggets wins, Chandler has averaged 13.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and shot 44 percent from the field. And he’s taken 11.3 shots which is the kind of aggressiveness Shaw has been looking to get out of him.
Defensively, Chandler has had to handle a huge challenge almost every game. The roll call of players he’s covered at small forward has included Sacramento’s Rudy Gay, Cleveland’s LeBron James, New York’s Carmelo Anthony and Portland’s Nicolas Batum.
Chandler, asked why he played so well against the Thunder, kept it short and sweet.
“The ball just found me,” he said. “That’s all.”
Chandler, an eighth-year pro, is in the fourth year of a five-year, nearly $37 million contract.
While he doesn’t say much about himself, his teammates weighed in.
“Will has been playing good basketball all year long, just picking his spots, being aggressive offensively,” Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo said. “He’s been given some tough defensive assignments as well. He’s been a complete player this early season. I’m happy for his progression.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or
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Spotlight on Ryan Anderson: On the list of the NBA’s toughest “stretch-four” players to cover is this New Orleans power forward from California. A deadly 3-point shooter, the 6-foot-10 Anderson is healthy again after surgery on a herniated cervical disc, which cost him 51 games. Playing off the bench, he ranks second among the Pelicans in scoring with an average of 16.4 points per game and is making 41.1 percent of his 3-point attempts.
NOTEBOOK
• Pelicans: Anthony Davis has been every bit as good as advertised, dominating the NBA with averages of 25.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.9 blocked shots and 2.3 steals per game. The former Kentucky star is shooting 57.9 percent. “I think he’s in the top five of power forwards in the league,” said Nuggets coach Brian Shaw. “He has all of the skills. He has a high basketball IQ, he has the length and athleticism, and now he has the confidence from his experience this summer (with USA Basketball). Just knowing he’s put in the work and now it’s paying him back.”
• Nuggets: The team is averaging only 13.8 turnovers per game. At the moment, that is the lowest average in Nuggets history. “To their credit they’ve been taking care of the ball,” Shaw said of his players. “And it’s crazy, because we have so many different guys handling the ball.”
— Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
