OAKLAND, Calif. — Nuggets backup point guard Emmanuel Mudiay (sprained ankle) has resumed contact work during shootarounds and pregame warm-ups. But he missed his fourth consecutive game Saturday at Golden State, giving him two more days to recover before Tuesday’s home contest against Utah.
That means the Nuggets have been down a point guard for more than a week, pushing Will Barton more into his de facto ball-handling role with mixed results.
After exploding for 11 overtime points in a Dec. 15 win against New Orleans, Barton dipped into a 5-of-24 shooting slump over two losses at Oklahoma City and against Minnesota. He then took just one shot in the first half Friday at Portland, before totaling 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the second half while also finishing with seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
“Itap like a fight within himself,” coach Michael Malone said. “At halftime (I said), ‘Will, we need you to be aggressive. Just because the ball is in your hands doesn’t mean you have to be a playmaker all the time.’
“I think in the second half, I thought you saw the Will Barton that we need. … It has not been easy for Will, but I think he’s overthinking a little bit. He’s just got to relax and play his game.”
Denver also recalled two-way rookie Monte Morris from the G League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers earlier this week to give it an emergency guard option. Morris was inactive for Saturday’s game against the Warriors.
Harris, Thompson comparisons. Malone was an assistant coach with Golden State in 2011 when the organization drafted Klay Thompson, then a sharpshooter out of Washington State. Thompson has developed into a stout defender during his NBA career featuring three all-star appearances and two championships.
Malone believes Denver’s Gary Harris could have a similar trajectory as a two-way player. Harris, a third-year guard, entered Saturday leading the Nuggets in scoring at 16.1 points per game while also shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point distance and ranking eighth in the NBA in steals (1.9) per game.
“Gary Harris came into the league known as a shooter and defender,” Malone said. “I think Gary has that same type of potential that Klay Thompson has.”
Footnote. The Nuggets started Nikola Jokic at power forward alongside Mason Plumlee for the third consecutive game, joining Wilson Chandler at small forward, Harris at shooting guard and Jamal Murray at point guard.
