Danilo Gallinari leads the Denver Nuggets in scoring at 18.4 points per game, but he needs some help scoring the ball. On Sunday, the Nuggets began an eight-game home stand with a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. Gallo led the team in scoring with 27 points; only three other players reached double digits: Gary Harris scored 12, Emmanuel Mudiay chipped in 11 in his first game back in almost a month and Will Barton added 10 off the bench.

After the game on Sunday, head coach Michael Malone called Gallo “one of the elite small forwards in the NBA,” going on to say he has been playing outstanding since his return. That might be a stretch in calling him an “elite” small forward in the game, but he has been the team’s best player all year.

So if Gallo is going to be the work horse for this team, at least on the offensive side of the ball, who can step up and help him?

Barton is the easy answer, because he already provides that scoring spark off the bench. Barton has struggled in his last four games and has not been good on the defensive side of the ball all year. Over the last four games Barton has shot 10-38 from the field and has scored 28 points during the span. Barton is a great sixth man, but this team relies on him to do too much; as I mentioned, he is a defensive liability.

I like Barton off the bench, but that’s his peak; he is a great scoring spark off the bench, and that is it.

Another option that will be there in time is Jusuf Nurkic. Nurkic has returned to the lineup and has already shown what kind of impact he can make on the floor. The problem is that it is going to take some time.

Nurk still has some work to do and things to develop in his post game, but he wants the ball, and he wants to score, which is the kind of mind state this team needs in the paint. If I had a magic potion to improve this team, I would give it to Nurk; imagine a Nuggets team with a player like Gallo who can score from all over and Nurk who could dominant the paint.

But then again if I had a magic potion, I would be the leading scorer for the Denver Nuggets and not writing this article!

A young man that already plays a huge role on the floor is Gary Harris. While Harris is clearly the Nuggets best defender, he also averages 10.5 points per game, and should only continue to rise as he becomes a bigger part of the offense.

If he can continue to do what he does defensively and increase his scoring, he will be one of the best young two-way players in the entire league. We know he can attack the rim, the problem is he does not do it enough. I want to see Gary Harris get to the rim more, which will make defenders play off him. And when he develops that jumper, he will be very tough to guard.

If someone can consistently play second fiddle to Gallo and score with some regularity, the team could take that next step. The Nuggets are a lot like Gotham City right now: There are a lot of problems, but if Gallo is going to be our Batman, he needs a Robin, and and he needs him as soon as possible!