The unlocking of Emmanuel Mudiay
Who’s had the Denver Nuggets best net rating since the lineup change? Jokic? Harris? Gallo?
Nope. Emmanuel Mudiay (+27.4).
Yes, the kid we were calling a bust just a few weeks ago has finally found himself, and over the last three games, he’s been one of the most effective players in the NBA, averaging 16.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 60.6 percent shooting from the field and 72.7 percent shooting from three.
That’s quite the turnaround given that I called Mudiay the least-effective player in the NBA just over a month ago — and I stand by it; he was.
But, like Faried, it’s less that Mudiay has drastically improved and more that Malone has put him in a position to succeed.
Again, and not to harp on Nurkic too much — it’s not his fault his skill set doesn’t fit with this roster — but Mudiay simply can’t share the court with a big man of his ilk; he clogs up the paint and stagnates the offense, especially when combined with Faried.
In fact, all season long, Mudiay has been fairly effective when Nurkic is on the bench, posting a net rating of 3.7, shooting 42.3 percent from the floor and 46.9 percent from three — the Nuggets would take those number all day.
When playing with Nurkic, though, Mudiay’s net rating plummeted to -18.0, and he shot just 33.3 percent from the field and 19.6 percent from three.
In comparison, when playing with Jokic, Mudiay’s net rating is 6.1, and he’s shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from three.
If the Nuggets truly have cracked the code, finding the perfect lineup to surround Emmanuel Mudiay, than the ceiling for this team just became a whole lot higher.
They have a tough three-game stretch coming up, with two games against the Clippers and another against the Hawks, but if these numbers keep up, the playoffs will be much more than a possibility; they’ll be a reality.
