This summer, when the salary cap money flows and the Nuggets are one of many teams deciding where best to spend their many millions, could current Atlanta wing Kent Bazemore be a fit in Denver?
Atlanta’s Kent Bazemore goes up for a dunk against Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
He’s definitely a player to keep an eye on.
This is what we know:
– He’d help improve the Nuggets shooting profile. And it needs help. As of Wednesday, the Nuggets were 21st in the NBA in 3-point percentage and 19th in 3-pointers made.
– He’s already familiar with Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who coached him as an assistant with Golden State in 2012-13.
– He’s also familiar with, and a fan of, current Nuggets guard Will Barton.
– He’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
In an NBA that is placing increasing value on shooting, he’ll get paid. Much more than the $2 million he’s making this season. Bazemore’s official stance on his upcoming free agency is this:
“Winning takes care of everything,” he said. “I’m just happy to be part of this (Atlanta) organization. The guys have given me an opportunity to play. With (DeMarre) Carroll leaving, they could have done a lot of things in free agency this summer. But, they believed in me and I’m very thankful for it. So right now I’m just trying to get as many wins as possible for this organization and everything else will fall into place.”
Bazemore ranks 21st in the league in 3-point percentage (41.7 percent).
“I’m very proud of him,” Malone said. “He was a guy that when he was with us in Golden State, worked hard. Before practice, after practice, barely got a chance to play the year I was there but never dropped his head. He’s got a great work ethic and I think a great story for a lot of these young kids that want to come in the NBA — keep on working, get better.”
It wasn’t Bazemore’s offense that first caught Malone’s eye. It was defense.
“I love two-way players,” Malone said. “Kent, in his college in the (Colonial Athletic Association) was a two-time defensive player of the year, now he’s growing on the offensive end. He’s shooting the ball better than Kyle Korver on the season from three, which says a lot. I’m happy for Kent and I root for guys like that.”
Bazemore credits being a better student of the game for his improvement.
“I think just playing a little smarter,” he said. “All my life I’ve been a great athlete, a hard worker that plays hard. I’ve been gifted athletically, but I’ve always lacked that cerebral-ness that it took to play at a very high level. I’m still working on it, but that’s where I’ve grown the most. My numbers are a lot better, my shooting percentages, my impact on the floor has changed on both ends.”
And, of course, getting the opportunity in the first place.
“Any player in this league, when you get the opportunity to play through your mistakes, get in the flow of a game and just go out and be free, I think it shows,” Bazemore said. “Will Barton, for example, I’m a big fan of his. He’s a guy that was in the same situation I was, he was taken in the second round and I was undrafted. It kind of worked out where he’s a prime example of guys that continue to work hard and get that opportunity, and he’s making the most of it.”
Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com
