WASHINGTON — Want to know a little something about how well Ty Lawson is playing? Tune in the next three games, all on the road, starting Friday night against the Washington Wizards. The three teams should provide all the insight needed to better slot Lawson in among the top point guards in the NBA this season, if he does well.
Because he’s about to get run through a gantlet of top-shelf talent.
First up: John Wall.
The Wizards point guard is playing some of the best basketball of his career, with early-season averages of 18.1 points and 9.6 assists. The Wizards, one of the early-season favorites to challenge for an Eastern Conference title, are 12-5.
Next: Jeff Teague.
The Atlanta Hawks guard perhaps is the most underrated point guard in the league. Teague is a scoring guard who dishes out assists as well. He’s averaging 18.0 points, 7.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He’s sizzling from the field, shooting 48.6 percent overall and 41.5 percent from 3-point range.
Third: Kyle Lowry.
The Toronto Raptors rewarded Lowry for a stellar season in 2013-14 with a four-year, $48 million contract to stay in Canada. And thus far he’s held up his end by being dominant. He makes all of the important plays — especially now in the absence of injured guard DeMar DeRozan — and is averaging 20.6 points, 6.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds for a team leading the Eastern Conference.
Lawson is off to a scorching start as well, averaging 16.6 points and 10.3 assists, which ranks second in the NBA. The last Nuggets player to average a double-double in points and assists was Mark Jackson during the 1996-97 season.
Lawson has designs on making it to the All-Star Game for the first time. His best argument starts now, coming against these three top athletes at the position, and needing not just good games but victories as well.
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or
DENVER AT WASHINGTON
5 p.m. Friday, ALT2; 950 AM
Spotlight on Andre Miller: Miller is reprising his reserve point guard role for the Wizards this season, but he’s doing so playing the fewest minutes per game of his career. Miller, 38, is averaging 12.8 minutes for Washington this season, his 16th in the NBA. The former Nugget is averaging 4.4 points and 3.3 assists with those minutes.
NOTEBOOK
• Nuggets: Guard Randy Foye remains out with a partially torn tendon in his right quadriceps. He’s expected to be out at least two more weeks. … Over the past 10 games guard Arron Afflalo is averaging 17.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists. … The Nuggets are 8-3 in their past 11 meetings against the Wizards at the Verizon Center.
• Wizards: The Nuggets may see an old friend in Nene, if the Wizards power forward is able to play. He’s missed five games with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. According to media reports, Nene went through light drills in practice Thursday. He is listed as questionable for Friday’s game. Nene is averaging 10.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season.
— Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
